PLACE REPRESENTED: Jordan
ITEM: Paperweight
NOTES: Sand art is found wherever there is a lot of sand. Jordan has a lot of sand. Jordan is also famous for the street sand art bottles like this one. It is simple and quite the talking piece (Jordan is written on the inside of the bottle and the rest is layers of sand poked into shapes).
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: sand , glass
MADE IN: Jordan
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 13cm high X 5.5cm across
PLACE REPRESENTED: Mexico
ITEM: Ornament
NOTES: A colourful mini sombrero celebrating colourful Mexico. It makes me want to go there. Well, not quite, but it is colourful , and so is Mexico , and both are quite beautiful in their own way.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: cloth material
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 16cm diameter
PLACE REPRESENTED: Peru
ITEM: Por Holder
NOTES: A hot dish pot holder / mat from Peru. The detail, the colour, the texture. What isn’t there to love about this? Suitable for hanging and too good for just holding pots.
EAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: material
MADE IN: Peru (probably)
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 20cm x 19cm
PLACE REPRESENTED: Okinawa , Japan
ITEM: Ornament
NOTES: Okinawa, though part of Japan, is an island, part of the Ryukyu Islands ( a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu Island in Japan to Taiwan. The island is so distinct that it has an identity all its own (it’s been part of Japan for 142 years). In a bottle with sand and tree are a pair of traditional Ryukyuan cultural Shisa gargoyle beasts (that are a cross between a lion and a dog). Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some evils. Shisa are placed everywhere with the left Shisa traditionally having a closed mouth (to keep good spirits in) and the right one an open mouth (to ward off evil spirits). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shisa
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: glass , wood.
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 15cm long x 8cm high
PLACE REPRESENTED: Toledo , Spain
ITEM: Bottle Opener
NOTES: Toledo, the ancient city on a hill in central Spain. Also known as the “City of the Three Cultures” for the cultural influences of Christians, Muslims, and Jews reflected in its history.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: steel
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 10cm long
PLACE REPRESENTED: Niagara Falls , Canada
ITEM: Wall Plate
NOTES: Niagara Falls, perhaps the most visited site in Canada? This has wonderful detail and a retro vibe.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: ceramic material
MADE IN: Korea
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 17.5cm
PLACE REPRESENTED: Cruz Alta , Brazil
ITEM: Wall Ornament
NOTES: Cruz Alta is a town the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil near the Argentinian and Uruguayan borders. This probably explains the gaucho-esque painting on this piece of leather … it’s cow country. Portuguese is spoken though there is a Gaúcho Portuguese dialect due to the proximity with Argentina and Uruguay and their common Gaucho past. I’m not sure how to say Yeee-Hah in Gaúcho Portuguese but it would be apt here.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: leather , wood
. MADE IN: Brazil probably
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 17cm x 21cm
PLACE REPRESENTED: Chile
ITEM: Coasters
NOTES: The copper tin industry in Chile is large and appears in all sorts of souvenirs. Here various Chilean activities and institutions are pressed into copper tin and placed onto wood (another big industry). This is quite effective and local.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: copper tin , wood
MADE IN: Chile (I assume)
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 9cm x 9cm (each coaster)
PLACE REPRESENTED: Bahrain
ITEM: Wall Ornament
NOTES: A vivid little wall ornament from the Kingdom of Bahrain, in the Persian Gulf. The detail around the border is distinctly Persian and the camels, the palm trees, Arabian tent, oasis and camel rider in his keffiyeh make no mistake as to what part of the world it is from. Very nice.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: ceramic material
MADE IN: unknown
MANUFACTURER: unknown
DIMENSIONS: 13cm diameter
PLACE REPRESENTED: Vienna , Austria
ITEM: Wall Plate
NOTES: A boy and girl in the traditional Vienna clothing. ‘Tracht’ is the word used in Austria for their traditional clothing and fashion. It is worn very often in the Austrian countryside, less in cities – only for special and formal occasions like weddings or receptions. Women wear ‘Dirndls’, a close-fitting bodice combined with an apron in different colors; either it is sleeveless and worn with a cotton and lace blouse, or it has sleeves and a high neck. Men wear ‘Lederhosen’, knee-length trousers or short-pants made from leather, worn with rustic shoes and wool socks. Should be more of it.
YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s
MADE FROM: ceramic material
MADE IN: Austria
MANUFACTURER: BM
DIMENSIONS: 19.5cm diameter