PLACE REPRESENTED: The Basilica of St Peter , Vatican City
ITEM: Wall Ornament
NOTES: The Basilica of St Peter (S Pietro) done in thin tile mosaic on wood. This is small, but in its own way, quite striking. The mentioning of Rome as the location of the Basilica (and Vatican City) is probably superfluous.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: wood , tile
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 17cm x 12cm
PLACE REPRESENTED: Lovran , Croatia
ITEM: Wall Ornament
NOTES: A small wall ornament with a picture of the old town of Lovran on Croatia’s north coast. Rustic and pretty.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1973
MADE FROM: wood
MADE IN: Croatia probably
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 8cm diameter
PLACE REPRESENTED: Tirol , Austria
ITEM: Small wooden wall ornament display plate. NOTES: The region of Tirol (or Tyrol) exists in both Italy (Tirolo) and Austria (Tirol). The spelling indicates this is from the Austrian side but the wooden plate and rustic feel of it reminds me of Italian trinkets. I have another similar ornament and wondered if the flowers depicted are region specific or just random? Those there are similar to the ones here so they could be regionally specific. Small but stylish with pyrography and vivid colours.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: wood
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 8.5cm diameter
PLACE REPRESENTED: Caloundra, Queensland , Australia
ITEM: Humorous Ornament
NOTES: Old school Australian humour. The wheel rotates to display many humorous quotes on “The Sport of Kings”, which is not horseracing but rather betting on horseracing. Have you ever noticed that, inevitably, everything humorous about horse racing seems to revolve about bad luck with the horses? And yet we still gamble. Clearly the “Caloundra” is an afterthought to this tourist trinket. There wasn’t, even, a race track at Caloundra (well not till after this trinket, in the mid 80s). Still, it’s a nice bit of 1960s kitsch.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1960s
MADE FROM: wood
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 14.5cm x 22cm
PLACE REPRESENTED: Tokyo (specifically Tokyo Tower) , Japan
ITEM: Wall Ornament
NOTES: Tokyo Tower specifically celebrated on this wall ornament. Tokyo Tower is a communications and observation tower and the second-tallest structure in Japan. I assume the mountain in the background is Mount Takao.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: ceramic material
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 16cm diameter
PLACE REPRESENTED: Pataua , New Zealand
ITEM: Wall Ornament
NOTES: A simple wall ornament (in pokerwork / pyrography) from Pataua, in the north of New Zealand, a popular area for sea gulls and surfing. Wherever you find seagulls you find surfers it seems. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pataua_North
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: wood
MADE IN: New Zealand probably
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 9cm x 12.5cm
PLACE REPRESENTED: Australia
ITEM: Souvenir Spoon Rack NOTES: A small souvenir spoon rack in the shape of Australia. Souvenir spoons, once collected by everyone, are now piled deep in trays at op shops. Still, they can be great (short) talking pieces, preferably inserted into a dip.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1990s
MADE FROM: wood
MADE IN: Australia
MANUFACTURER: Tom’s Timber Products
DIMENSIONS: 36cm x 28cm
PLACE REPRESENTED: Holland
ITEM: Wall Ornament
NOTES: A small wall ornament with a hand painted farmhouse, some pyrography lettering, and, naturally enough, a windmill (windmills or clogs, clogs or windmills). This is especially as the sails on the windmill turn!
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1960s
MADE FROM: wood
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 9.5cm diameter
PLACE REPRESENTED: Portschach , Austria
ITEM: Wall Ornament NOTES: Pörtschach am Wörthersee is a municipality in Carinthia, located in southern Austria. It is on the northern shore of Lake Wörth, about 14 kilometres (west of the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt) and is Alpine in nature. All those things are captured on this wall plaque.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: wood , plastic
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 20.5cm x 16cm
PLACE REPRESENTED: Dubrovnik , Croatia
ITEM: Wall Ornament / Plate
NOTES: A beautifully glazed steel wall plate celebrating Dubrovnik and suitably old looking like Dubrovnik itself. Beautiful, like Dubrovnik itself.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: steel (enamel decoration on metal)
MADE IN: Croatia
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 31cm diameter