Category Archives: Wall Ornament

ZAGREB, CROATIA – Wall Plate

Posted on by
Reply

PLACE REPRESENTED: Zagreb , Croatia

ITEM: Wall Plate

NOTES: Zagreb, the capital of Croatia done in the familiar pyrography (wood decorated with burn marks) style common to wooden wall plates in the region. The view of Zagreb cathedral (Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) and the Tower of St. Mary church is taken from lookout in front of the Lotrščak fort in the Upper town. I assume the outside of the plates are standardised to a number of designs and the pyrography scenic view is applied to the plate middle. I don’t know if there is one artist or (more likely) a group copying a scene to multiple plates but I have seen the same scene on other plates (like this one). They are the same scene but they are, also, entirely individual with small differences.

YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1990s

MADE FROM: wood

MADE IN: Croatia (probably)

MANUFACTURER: unknown

DIMENSIONS: 29cm diameter

RHODES, GREECE – Wall Plate

Posted on by
Reply

PLACE REPRESENTED: Rhodes , Greece

ITEM: Wall Plate

NOTES: Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese islands (a group of 15 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea, off the coast of Turkey) of Greece. Depicted in the Palace of the Grand Master in the city of Rhodes. This is vivid.

YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1960s

MADE FROM: pottery

MADE IN: unknown

MANUFACTURER: Probably Greece

DIMENSIONS: 26cm diameter

LOVRAN, CROATIA – Wall Ornament

Posted on by
Reply

LOVRAN, CROATIA – Wall Ornament

PLACE REPRESENTED: Lovran, Croatia

ITEM: Wall Ornament

NOTES: I love these detailed souvenirs. Wood, shells and a picture of the old town of Lovran. This is vivid and makes me want to hop on a plane now. Lovran (or Laurana to the Italians, Lauran to the Austrians) is a small town on the Istrian peninsula on Croatia’s north coast and has been under many flags (Rome, Byzantium, The Franks, France, Italy, Austria, Yugoslavia, Croatian) in its history but is distinctly Adriatic southern Slav. – ie: Croatian. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovran

YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1994

MADE FROM: wood , shell

MADE IN: Croatia probably

MANUFACTURER: unknown

DIMENSIONS: 32cm long x 10cm wide

 

GIBRALTAR – Wall Ornament

Posted on by
Reply

07PLACE REPRESENTED: Gibraltar

ITEM: Wall Ornament

NOTES: Gibraltar … yet another British Territory (and city) nowhere near Britain. Gibraltar is located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula (the south of Spain). Featured is the coat of arms, the Rock of Gibraltar, the Barbary macaque monkey and I assume, the National flower of Gibraltar which is the Candytuft. it doesn’t look like a Candytuft though it looks more like a Gibraltar Range Waratah which comes from Australia. I wonder if the designer used haphazard googling? Then again, what do I know about floriculture. By the way I think Albert Hammond (Gibraltar’s great musical export) should be on the plate.

YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 2000s

MADE FROM: ceramic material

MADE IN: unknown

MANUFACTURER: unknown

DIMENSIONS: 15cm diameter

SZENTENDRE, HUNGARY – Wall Ornament

Posted on by
Reply

PLACE REPRESENTED: Szentendre , Hungary

ITEM: Wall Ornament

NOTES: Szentendre is a multi ethnic old riverside town in Pest County, Hungary, near the capital city Budapest. This is a nice piece of pottery relief. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szentendre

YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 2000s

MADE FROM: pottery

MADE IN: Hungary

MANUFACTURER: Kerámia dísztárgyak

DIMENSIONS: 12cm x 15cm

SPLIT , CROATIA – Wall Ornament

Posted on by
Reply

PLACE REPRESENTED: Split , Croatia

ITEM: Wall Plate

NOTES: Split, featuring St Dominius Cathedral, done in pyrography (wood decorated with burn marks) on a carved plate. St Dominius (Katedrala Svetog Duje) is located inside the gates of Diocletian’s Palace built in Roman times as the Mausoleum of Diocletian before being converted to a church in the 7th century. Mass is still held here today, making it one of the oldest Catholic cathedrals in the world still in use in its original structure.

YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1990s

MADE FROM: wood

MADE IN: Croatia (probably)

MANUFACTURER: unknown

DIMENSIONS: 25cm diameter

QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA – Wall Ornament

Posted on by
Reply

PLACE REPRESENTED: Queensland , Australia

ITEM: Wall Ornament

NOTES: “I got a boot out of Queensland”. I’m sure you did. Getting a boot can be good or bad, depending who you ask, though it’s generally meant to be favourable. A souvenir of the “insert place name here” variety, this boot is usually used for ‘cowboy country” type places. So, in that respect it does apply to Queensland, at least inland and the outback.

YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s

MADE FROM: ceramic material

MADE IN: unknown

MANUFACTURER: unknown

DIMENSIONS: 13.5cm across x 16.6cm high

RIJEKA (specifically Trsat), CROATIA – Wall Ornament

Posted on by
Reply

PLACE REPRESENTED: Rijeka , Croatia

ITEM: Wall Ornament

NOTES: Hand made and home made. i love it. Trsat is a steep hill overlooking Rijeka. On top is perched, not surprisingly, a castle / fortress and a church, Majka Bozja Trsatska (Our lady of Trsat). Building of the (current) church began in the 13th or 14th century but it has been significantly added to and remodelled over the years. Mary’s house in Nazareth is said to have appeared here then mysteriously disappeared sometime later, to be discovered in Italy, in Loreto, where it still stands today as a shrine. The church is famous for its numerous concessions and for the pilgrimages by numerous believers (from Croatia and abroad) throughout the year, and especially on the Assumption of Mary holiday. http://www.kvarner.hr/hodocastiti-svetistima/en/trsat.html

YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1998

MADE FROM: pottery

MADE IN: Croatia (I assume)

MANUFACTURER: unknown

DIMENSIONS: 19cm x 14cm

RIJEKA, CROATIA – Wall Ornament

Posted on by
Reply

PLACE REPRESENTED: Rijeka , Croatia

ITEM: Wall Ornament

NOTES: The Morcic (Moretto) are a traditional symbol (and good luck charm) for the town of Rijeka on the Croatian north Adriatic coast. This is not some sort of blackface stereotype. The legends of Morcic have a number of sources and you can pick which to accept according to your patriotic, historical or romantic leanings (to show where you are from, to celebrate a military victory over the Ottomans, as a symbol of friendship when an Italian contessa granted freedom to a servant she cared for very much). The morčić motif can be seen throughout the city and is widely recognised, and jewellery and souvenirs, which were prolific, reaching their peak in the 19th century (but disappearing after World War 2) are once again being produced. Rightly or wrongly I’m sure they will be cancelled.

https://croatia.hr/en-GB/experiences/culture-and-heritage/legends/the-origin-of-morcic-the-lucky-charm-from-rijeka

YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1994

MADE FROM: wood , material , ceramic material.

MADE IN: Croatia

MANUFACTURER: Tarsatic Art

DIMENSIONS: 12cm x 17cm