PLACE REPRESENTED: The Basilica of St Peter and Square , Vatican City
ITEM: Ashtray
NOTES: The Basilica of St Peter as an ashtray – hmmm. Clearly it’s a decorative ashtray but still, where is the respect?
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1973
MADE FROM: ceramic material
MADE IN: ?
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 12cm x 12cm
PLACE REPRESENTED: Post Office Tower, London , England
ITEM: Small Display Plate / Nic Nac bowl.
NOTES: Nic Nac plate celebrating the Post Office Tower in London.
Impressive?
To give you an idea of it’s impressive size the bowl has a to scale picture of Nelson’s Column inset. This, of course, is only uselful if you know how tall Nelson’s Column is.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): ?
MADE FROM: glass
MADE IN: ?
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 11cm x 11cm
PLACE REPRESENTED: Eumundi, Queensland , Australia
ITEM: Ashtray
NOTES: A dragonfly ashtray.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1990s
MADE FROM: ceramic material
MADE IN: Unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 12cm diameter
PLACE REPRESENTED: Fuzina , Croatia
ITEM: Wall Ornament
NOTES: Handmade and suitably earthy or woodsy in this case. A slice of wood with some creative use of pine cones. The basic pyrography “Uspomena iz Fuzina” means “A remembrance of Fuzina”. I’m not sure why the maker has chosen the historical Italian variation “Fuzina” rather than the contemporary Croatian “Fuzine”. A nice big piece.
More detail here: http://www.tz-fuzine.hr/view.asp?p=5&c=8
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1994
MADE FROM: wood
MADE IN: Croatia
MANUFACTURER: Handmade
DIMENSIONS: 33cm high , 8cm across
Remember to click on the photos for detailed large images.
PLACE REPRESENTED: Paris , France
ITEM: Ornamental miniature
NOTES: The Eiffel Tower – in steel, what else.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: steel
MADE IN: ?
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 19.5cm high , 8cm wide
ITEM: Fridge Magnet
PLACE REPRESENTED: Tenterfield, New South Wales , Australia.
NOTES: A park in Tenterfield. Home of Peter Allen and Banjo Paterson.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: plastic
MADE IN: Australia
MANUFACTURER: Murray Views
DIMENSIONS: 5cm x 7cm
PLACE REPRESENTED: Budapest , Hungary
ITEM: Mini Stein
NOTES: A stein? This is very Austrian but perhaps not surprising given was one of the twin capitals of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1998
MADE FROM: ceramic material
MADE IN: ?
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 7cm high , 6cm wide
PLACE REPRESENTED: Memphis, Tennessee, USA (Graceland specifically)
ITEM: Pin Cushion
NOTES: A rocking chair pin cushion from Elvis Presley’s home in Memphis, Graceland. I’m not sure why a pin cushion and rocking chair but anything with Elvis or anything Elvis related will sell. If nothing else it is a reminder that Elvis’ beloved grandmother, Minnie Mae aka Dodger, lived at Graceland until she passed away in 1980.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: steel , fabric
MADE IN: ?
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 6cm high , 3.5cm wide
Happy Birthday Elvis.
PLACE REPRESENTED: Nicaragua
ITEM: Religious
NOTES: A colourful cross from Nicaragua with vivid drawings of village life. Vivid and appealing.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 2012
MADE FROM: wood
MADE IN: Nicaragua
MANUFACTURER: Handmade
DIMENSIONS: 24cm high , 18.5cm across
PLACE REPRESENTED: Venice, Italy.
ITEM: Wall Ornament.
NOTES: Venice in wood?
Wooden folk art is something common throughout Europe but the idea of Venice on wood is interesting given that coastal Croatians swear that the Venetian Republic was built on Croatian lumber. The fact that there is very little top soil left along some parts of the Croatian coast, due to erosion from tree felling, may indicate there is some truth in that belief.
Putting aside any historical exploitation argument this is a type of tourist trinket I love: it’s hand made, though mass produced, with mixed materials, ie: a postcard stuck to wood and painted to create a vivid Venetian memory of the Piazza San Marco (St. Marks Square).
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: wood, paper, paint.
MADE IN: Unknown, Italy probably.
MANUFACTURER: unknown.
DIMENSIONS: 22cm high, 11cm wide