PLACE REPRESENTED: Milan, Italy
ITEM: Nic Nac Dish
NOTES: The Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano) in all its glory. The plate really doesn’t do the Gothic cathedral justice. It took nearly six centuries to complete … the church not the plate.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): unknown, 1970s probably.
MADE FROM: plastic
MADE IN: Italy
MANUFACTURER: Muzio, Milano
DIMENSIONS: 15cm wide , 10.5cm long
PLACE REPRESENTED: Maroochydore , Australia.
ITEM: Cup
NOTES: Simple and functional … much like Maroochydore.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: plastic
MADE IN: Australia
MANUFACTURER: J. Glaser Corp (Brand name Steditemp)
DIMENSIONS: 11cm high , 9cm wide.
PLACE REPRESENTED: Texas, USA
ITEM: Decorative Depiction
NOTES: A wooden Texas with a strip of Baker Barbed Wire attatched (a type of barbed wire which was patented in 1883). All hail the barbed wire? Free range advocates would not have been happy and no doubt gunplay resulted …
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: wood, steel
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 12cm high, 11cm wide
PLACE REPRESENTED: Postojna, Slovenia
ITEM: Vase
NOTES: Postojna is a small town in south west Slovenia and is home to the Postojna cave, a major tourist attraction in Slovenia. The vase is simple and to the point.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1990s
MADE FROM: ceramic material
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: Looks to be handmade
DIMENSIONS: 10cm across, 15cm high
PLACE REPRESENTED: Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory , Australia
ITEM: Thermometer
NOTES: Shells and thermometers. It doesn’t matter where you are, though on the water would be preferable, shells and thermometers always go together. Where do these shells come from? Not Nhulunbuy, surely. Maybe, it’s on the coast. Nhulunbuy is the name of the township on the Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory. This is remote!
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: shells
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 10cm high
PLACE REPRESENTED: Malta
ITEM: Wall ornament.
NOTES: The Maltese coat of arms with a nifty 70s laminate veneer in the background. This is the 1964 Independence shield of arms of Malta which was the coat of arms from 1964-1975. “Virtute et Constantia” is the motto on the shield and the motto for the “Order of Malta” award and which means “power and constancy”. And if you didnt know what the coat was …”Malta” is tagged in at the bottom.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: wood
MADE IN: Malta
MANUFACTURER: Handmade
DIMENSIONS: 13.5cm across , 14cm high
PLACE REPRESENTED: Gold Coast , Australia.
ITEM: Vase
NOTES: Heart shaped vase with garish colours. In its own way it perfectly sums up the Gold Coast.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: glass
MADE IN: unknown.
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 10cm across , 11cm high
PLACE REPRESENTED: Ireland
ITEM: Doll
NOTES: Doll in traditional Irish dress. Ahh, to be sure.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: plastic , material
MADE IN: Hong Kong
MANUFACTURER: Eagleton Toys
DIMENSIONS: 25cm tall (doll)
PLACE REPRESENTED: Chimney Rock North Carolina , USA
ITEM: Mug
NOTES: wikipedia: “Chimney Rock State Park is a North Carolina state park in Chimney Rock, Rutherford County, North Carolina in the United States. The 4,531-acre (18.34 km2) park is located 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Asheville, North Carolina, and is owned by the state of North Carolina. It offers hiking trails for all skill levels, spectacular views, the Devil’s Head balancing rock and a 404-foot (123 m) waterfall, Hickory Nut Falls. Its most notable feature is a 315-foot (96 m) rock formation, a granite monolith, Chimney Rock, accessible by elevator and providing views of the park and surrounding countryside”. I could not have described it better. Also, I’m partial to granite rock though it is hard to shape.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1970s
MADE FROM: ceramic material
MADE IN: ?
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 11.5cm across , 11cm high
PLACE REPRESENTED: Croatia
ITEM: Ornament
NOTES: Technically this is from Yugoslavia (1972) but it was purchased in Croatia and clearly looks like a Croatian donkey. Doesn’t it?
A well detailed wood carving of the traditional Croatian form of transport of years past, the “magarac” … donkey. The donkey is carrying the obligatory barrel of wine as well as a bucket on each side.
The donkey is central to Croatian culture. Poems, stories and songs have been written about the donkey. Though not that fashionable anymore these trinkets from the 1970s show a clear line to Croatia recent, agrarian past.
Will the mythology survive the shock of the new that is the world post EU?
These carvings were prolific and came in different sizes and shapes.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1972
MADE FROM: wood , steel.
MADE IN: Yugoslavia (as it then was).
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 18cm high , 17cm long.
And there are others . The same size but with slightly different markings.
And of course, together;
