PLACE REPRESENTED: Holland
ITEM: Key Ring
NOTES: A sturdy steel key ring depicting the famous Dutch tulips. Simple and evocative.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 2017
MADE FROM: steel
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 7cm (with chain) , 3.5cm diameter on medallion
PLACE REPRESENTED: Ireland
ITEM: Tea Towel
NOTES: Irish Family names on a map of Ireland with the usual symbols of Ireland : the thatched roof cottage, Glendalough Round Tower, a Celtic cross, a drinking cup and a gold collar. I’m not sure how accurate it is an ancestry location locator but many, many Irish surnames are shown.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: 52% linen, 48% cotton.
MADE IN: Ireland
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 45cm x 65cm
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
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: Israel
ITEM: Wall Plate
NOTES: A stylish, old school looking brass plate depicting Moses and “Israel” in English and Hebrew along the bottom. Moses was the leader of the Israelites dating back to the 13th century BC. The most important prophet in Judaism and one of the most important prophets in Christianity, Islam, the Druze faith, the Baháʼí Faith, and other Abrahamic religions.The plate, like Israel, is intricate, substantial and permanent.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: steel (brass?)
MADE IN: Israel (I suspect)
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 25cm diameter
PLACE REPRESENTED: Ireland
ITEM: Wall Ornament
NOTES: The Irish shillelagh is a walking stick or club used for walking and, errr clubbing? This one isn’t long enough to be a walking stick, unless you were a little person (the little people of Irish mythology?) and too ornate to be a club (I assume). So, it is purely decorative though would hurt if used for non-decorative purposes.
In the modern world, the shillelagh is recognised, especially in the Irish-American context, as a symbol of Irishness and populates the mascots and logos of many Irish associations and sports teams. This is one weapon that made the onto the plane and through customs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shillelagh_(club)
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1960s
MADE FROM: wood
MADE IN: Ireland probably
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 44cm long x 11cm wide (at its widest)
PLACE REPRESENTED: Croatia
ITEM: Wall Plate
NOTES: A wall plate of Croatia depicting the country, the major cities, the major buildings in those cities and the Croatian coat of arms.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1995
MADE FROM: ceramic material
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 24cm diameter
PLACE REPRESENTED: Yandina (specifically The Ginger Factory), Queensland , Australia
ITEM: Tray
NOTES: Every kid in the 1980s had to go visit the Ginger Factory at Yandina, didn’t they? Well, every kid in south east Queensland had to. It was much better than the box factory from The Simpsons as they had activities, a train ride and err ginger products! https://www.gingerfactory.com.au/
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: bamboo
MADE IN: Taiwan
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 30.5cm diameter
PLACE REPRESENTED: Alaska , USA
ITEM: Trivet
NOTES: A trivet or wall tile this is a nice modernist take on usual Alaskan themes of mountain, snow and moose.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1990s
MADE FROM: tile
MADE IN: China
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 15.5cm x 15.5cm
PLACE REPRESENTED: Slavonia , Croatia
ITEM: Box
NOTES: A very familiar Croatian souvenir from the “Yugoslavia era”, though still manufactured now. Wood, pyrography (wood decorated with burn marks), some basic colours and a postcard glued into place. As I have said before, I love these souvenirs. They are sturdy, vivid and distinctive. This one depicts five towns (Đakovo, Valpovo, Osijek, Vinkovici, Vukovar) in Slavonia, Croatia’s north easter region. Functional and decorative.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: wood
MADE IN: Croatia (probably)
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 20cm x 16.5cm x 5cm high
