PLACE REPRESENTED: Mexico
ITEM: Ornament
NOTES: A colourful mini sombrero celebrating colourful Mexico. It makes me want to go there. Well, not quite, but it is colourful , and so is Mexico , and both are quite beautiful in their own way.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: cloth material
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 16cm diameter
PLACE REPRESENTED: Okinawa , Japan
ITEM: Ornament
NOTES: Okinawa, though part of Japan, is an island, part of the Ryukyu Islands ( a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu Island in Japan to Taiwan. The island is so distinct that it has an identity all its own (it’s been part of Japan for 142 years). In a bottle with sand and tree are a pair of traditional Ryukyuan cultural Shisa gargoyle beasts (that are a cross between a lion and a dog). Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some evils. Shisa are placed everywhere with the left Shisa traditionally having a closed mouth (to keep good spirits in) and the right one an open mouth (to ward off evil spirits). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shisa
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: glass , wood.
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 15cm long x 8cm high
PLACE REPRESENTED: Hawaii , USA
ITEM: Ornament
NOTES: The Hawaiian “God of Winner” or “Winner God” is one of the Hawaiian Tiki Gods. This one is meant to bless you with good fortune and if you keep this Tiki with you, according to the label, “you may always be a winner in all that you do”. Winner, all right. I suspect the real winner here is the Chinese manufacturing industry.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1998
MADE FROM: Hard resin
MADE IN: China
MANUFACTURER: KC Comp
DIMENSIONS: 17cm high
PLACE REPRESENTED: Alice Springs, Northern Territory , Australia
ITEM: Coffee Mug
NOTES: A coffee mug, or, rather, half a coffee mug. Has anyone ever asked for half a cup of coffee? Perhaps in pre barista instant coffee days in Australia.
“Central Australia” is often equated with “Northern Territory”. Either way Alice Springs in in its centre and the camel lounging under an umbrella, with an esky and a cool drink is apt. … ie: it’s hot.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: ceramic material
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 9cm high x a 10cm semi circle
PLACE REPRESENTED: Australia
ITEM: Humourous Ornament
NOTES: Typical Australian humour. Apparently. Well it’s not Barry Humphries but it is amusing. The only problem is, with the exception of Melbourne the weather is pretty consistent. Where it’s rainy, it rains all the time. Where it’s dry, it’s dry all the time ….
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 2000s
MADE FROM: wood
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 15cm x 20cm
PLACE REPRESENTED: Madrid , Spain
ITEM: Ornament
NOTES: Madrid – a black fan, dancing. Fair enough. But this trinket is not really for hanging or sitting ….I’m not sure how you display this.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: plastic
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 14cm across , 8cm high .
PLACE REPRESENTED: Ireland
ITEM: Ornament
NOTES: “Natural Irish Crafts”. Only the Irish could get away with sculpting something (here a Celtic harp) out of turf, or rather peat bog, and selling it to tourists.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: turf
MADE IN: Ireland
MANUFACTURER: Samhain Turf
DIMENSIONS: 19cm high x 13cm wide
PLACE REPRESENTED: Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia.
ITEM: Ornament
NOTES: A caricature of the happy go lucky surfer, board in hand. This is naff but quite charming and would do your head in if you fully embraced surfing culture’s recreational habits. Or, is that a stereotype?
Who knows how many of these have been sold.
Byron Bay is a beachside town located in the far north-eastern corner of the state of New South Wales and is a favourite destination for international backpackers.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 2000s
MADE FROM: steel , wood
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 11.5cm high x 7cm x 7cm base.
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PLACE REPRESENTED: Nicaragua
ITEM: Ornament
NOTES: The three wise monkeys who embody the proverbial principle “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” are, here, transposed to Nicaragua. It’s not unusual for cultures to adapt the proverb to their culture by using a more familiar symbol. Buddahs, owls, people and all sorts of symbols have been used. Here, the Nicaraguans have gone for an a Native American Indian look or perhaps a Aztec look (even though the Aztecs were to the north of Nicaragua in Mexico). These double up as tea light candle holders. The ornaments are signed by Jose Gutierrez, a Nicaraguan potter from the village of San Juan de Oriente. Having said that this is a little rough and could be a knock off.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 2016
MADE FROM: clay
MADE IN: Nicaragua
MANUFACTURER: Jose Gutierrez
DIMENSIONS:16cm tall, 8cm wide (each)
PLACE REPRESENTED: Fiji Islands
ITEM: Ornament
NOTES: A stand up very simple wood carving of a traditional (?) Fijian beach village. Despite the handcraft in this, the slightly slapdash nature indicates these must have been churned out at a rapid pace. It’s as if the craftsman could see the boat load of tourists on the horizon.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1990s
MADE FROM: wood
MADE IN: Fiji (probably)
MANUFACTURER: Handmade
DIMENSIONS: 15.5cm across x 12cm high