Carvings, Statues, & Figurines
I have found many carvings, statues, and figurines. One set belong to a highly defined group, and so I will present them separately: French feves. The others make a fascinating array of their own!
Fèves
Fèves are miniature sculptures that are simple and popular toys. The number of fèves devoted to La Fontaine's fables are testimony to the fables' popularity. I have found a number of different sets. There are many, many more! The two earliest finds are together here under "Various Other Fèves." They can be rotated and seen from various angles. The other four are complete and independent, on their own pages. Here they are:
Vahine Fèves x 12
2008 Set of 12 fèves of the fables of La Fontaine by Vahine. €10.99 for 11 of the 12 from genealogos on Ebay, July, '20. $1.79 for the twelfth fève, the hare, from Sandysandciestore on Ebay, August, '20.
This group of fèves is unusual for being paired. Fables are of course often about pairs encountering each other. In this case, each little statue is shaped to fit alongside its partner. So I offer photos of the "couples."
Complete Series of 10 Fable Fèves
2010? Complete Series of 10 Fable Fèves. $11.90 from Collecstore13 through Ebay, August, '20. One duplicate of WL as a "cadeau."
This is a particularly successful set of fable fèves. The challenge is regularly how to bring together the two characters often involved in a fable. That challenge makes MM perhaps the most curious piece in this group. Is her "leaning back" posture meant to suggest the coming fall of the pail of milk? The fox is wonderfully smug, though the grapes appear to be quite near his reach. WC, I would say, is particularly successful. This set can also be seen in three dimensions here. Eight of these feves, differently and rather bizarrely colored, are grouped here.
DVO 237 Complete Series of 11 Fable Fèves
2010? DVO 237 Complete Series of 11 Fable Fèves. $14.28 from Collecstore13 through Ebay, August, '20.
Two curious features of this set of fèves include the "frame" halves of each scene including one of the two characters and the exception, the single figure of the hen that laid the golden eggs. MM presents an exception to that first pattern. If the jug is her fable "partner," it is not completely in the other half of the framed scene. I believe that the two-dimensional approach to the fable scene does not allow for as much detail as happens in three-dimensional figurines.
DVO304 Set of 8 Fèves
2010? Complete series DVO304 of 8 fèves of fables of La Fontaine. $9.52 from collecstore13 through Ebay, August, '20.
This series seems to me to be done with less skill than other sets. Especially curious pieces are the oak with the "big hair" and the ant who is larger than the cicada. More successful is the wolf who has wrapped the lamb in his "embrace."
Faboland Bonjour Maitre de La Fontaine Set of 10 Fèves
2012? Complete Series of 10 Faboland Fable Fèves. "Bonjour Maitre de La Fontaine." Aff 81.00. €10 from Faboland through Ebay, Sept., '20.A similar set earlier for €8.80 from Nathalie Majka, Monchy Saint Eloi, France, through Ebay, July, '04.
This is another successful set of fable fèves. Spatial proportions are sometimes compromised here, e.g. in OF, but overall the series is quite successful. Among the best pieces, I believe, are "The Wolf Turned Shepherd"; MSA; and GGE.
Feves La Fontaine au Fournil
2011 Complete set of nine "Au Fournil" feves. €12.50 from ptijacky through Ebay, Feb., '24. Extras of Lamb and Stork Fèves from "La Fontaine au Fournil." €1.40 each from Un monde de collection through Ebay, Dec., '23.
"Fournil" means bakehouse, and each of these characters is doing something in the process of baking and distributing baked goods. I have seen a cigale in the same format on Fabolie's identified as a feve Bourseau. Cute figurines! Are the nine a complete set?
Faboland Nordia Fèves Set of 5 Pairs
2013? Faboland Nordia Single-Character Fèves Complete Set of 5 Pairs. Aff 110.05. €14 from Faboland through Ebay, Sept., '20.
This set of fable fèves is unusual for offering only single characters paired with each other for five fables: FC, LM, TH, OF, and GA.. Better than usual facial detail. The cigale's sunglasses are excellent!
Five Fabophile Matched Fève Duos
2015? Set of five matched pairs of fèves representing fables of Jean de La Fontaine. Fabophile. €17.81 from fabofolies through Ebay, Sept., '22.
I am beginning to sense how many sets of fèves must be out there representing La Fontaine's fables. This set by Fabophile is well executed. The only description I can get from a vendor -- or perhaps the manufacturer? -- is "Série de fèves représentant les duos célèbres." These are among the best fable fèves I have seen, and the set seems to be rare.
Nex Set of Five Matching Disk Pairs
1996 Complete set of 10 Nex fable fèves. Matching pairs. €32 from Monique Gottero, Aulon, France, through Ebay, Dec., '21.
The ten disks come with five having a notch to fit with a fully circular disk, and thus the five famous pairs align. Many seem to me backwards, starting with the "and" of the second partner. I can find no reference to this particular series on the web, though references to other Nex series abound.
Set of Six Fèves Ref. T111
2010? Complete set of six fèves depicting fables of La Fontaine. Ref. T111. €9.50 from ptijacky, Usez, France, through Ebay, Oct., '22.
These six fèves are marked by their double character. Even FG is really about the interaction of two entities. With all the others it is even clearer. It is curious that that FG fève is the only one of this set not already in the collection and pictured under "fèves to be viewed three dimensionally." Comparison of the five duplicates shows how differently those of this set are colored. I have been unable to learn anything more about this set or where it comes from.
Set of Eight Fèves Casino - Arguydal
2001? Complete set of eight fèves depicting four pairs of characters from fables of La Fontaine. Casino - Arguydal. AFF 50.2001. P12. *74. €10 from Faboland-com, Champdieu, France through Ebay, Oct., '22. Extra set for €7 from 09.manue through Ebay at the same time. An extra of the wolf as a gift from a generous seller earlier.
These eight fèves are nicely divided into pairs. The best may be the crow and the wolf. The least good may be the grasshopper. Their small size may have precluded more detail.
Set of "Ronde des Pains" Fèves
2010? Complete set 5 pairs of "Ronde des Pains" Feves of the fables of La Fontaine. €11 from pokemon-mew-two through Ebay, Dec., '23.
This is an unusual set of feves in that each piece advertises "Ronde des Pains," an apparently well-known set of French bakeries. There are no titles of individual characters or fables on the pieces themselves. Each partner's base has a straight-line edge ready to match up with the edge of its partner's base.
Set of Ten Two-Dimensional Fèves
2000? Série complète de 10 fèves Fables de la Fontaine. Two dimensional. €17.81 from fabolfolies through Ebay, Oct., '22.
The unusual characteristic of this otherwise unidentified set of 10 fèves is that each has a flat side and is thus two-dimensional. It is also unusual that two pairs out of the ten figurines use the same form but are colored differently. Is there a black ant and a white ant? And are there two cicadas? Otherwise we have OF, TH, and FC.
Série complète de 12 fèves Vahiné
2005? Série complète de 12 fèves Vahiné - Fables de la Fontaine. €28.33 from fabolfolies through Ebay, Oct., '22.
This is a generally well-executed set of six pairs of statuettes. A distinguishing characteristic is the circles around eyes. Perhaps the best pair is FC. The cicada seems to be more of a hobo than a musician!
Feves of Two Characters with Capital Titles
1980 8 different fables illustrated by fèves. From various vendors online and at French flea markets, through August, '15. One duplicate of TMCM as a cadeau offered with other fèves.
As can happen with such small sculptures, the results are sometimes a little bizarre. The milkmaid is pictured quite differently, for example, from other illustrations of this fable. WL seems to miss the fable quite entirely. WC, by contrast, seems quite successful! Some further investigation reveals that these are eight of the ten feves listed as "Complete Series of 10 Fables Feves" but without FG and LM. These are differently colored: that is where some of the "bizarre" comes into play.
Feves of Two Characters with Some Lower Case Titles
1980 12 different fables illustrated by fèves. From various vendors online and at French flea markets, through August, '15.
These "beans" combine two characters in one scene, often with simple and even garish coloring. Simple forms. Are these members of more than one set?
Various Other Fèves
2018 Feve disk "La Cigale et la F…." €1.40 from Un monde de collection through Ebay, Dec., '23.
This disk is clearly to be paired with a fellow representing the cicada. Ebay represents it as a "Devinette," which I take to be a puzzle. I presume that description rests on the this feve's need to be paired with its partner.
Matryoshka Dolls
I have found four sets of matryoshka dolls:
Russian Matryoshka Set of 10, 1993
1993 Russian matryoshka set of 10 dolls representing FS. $75 from josephcustomcues through eBay, Dec., '
This remarkable matryoshka, signed "Surko L"on the bottom of the largest doll, by the artist, is, according to the Ebay seller, an "authentic hand painted Russian Nesting Doll" originally purchased for $900. As the seller claims, the colors are indeed vivid. 11" tall. The diminishing dolls tell the story of FS, which is beloved as a folktale among Russians. All that is left after the the unfortunate tit-for-tat encounter is an empty soup bowl and an empty vase. Though the display below allows us to follow the story, viewers are reminded that each successive doll is about an inch shorter than the preceding doll. Click on any doll to see a full-screen image.
Yugoslav Matryoshka Set of 5, 1995?
1995? Yugoslavian set of 5 dolls including, on the outside doll, a representation of FS. $20.50 from Diane Woodword, Glen Ann, MD, through eBay, July, '05.
The elaborate development of the characters' clothing on the outside presentation of FS suggests the folktale that FS is in Eastern Europe. We see the moment in which the stork presents food in a tall vase to the fox. The artist chooses great local clothing for these animals! The stories represented on the other four dolls are presumably folktales. The smallest seems to represent a mustached man about to strike a dragon. The second smallest features a goat and a lobster. The third has a fox holding afish riding on a wolf, and the fourth pictures a woman holding a staff and a fisherman in a boat. In each case, there is a concern to fill the "empty" side of the doll with engaging landscape consistent with the scene on the front.
A Russian Set of 5 Matryoshkas, 1998?
Marzipan, St. Petersburg, Set of 5, 2020?
2020? Set of five fable matryoshka dolls. St. Petersburg: Marzipan. 3,900 Rubles from Livemaster, Moscow. August, '20.
Here is a lovely set of matryoshkas illustrating five of Krylov's fables. Found by chance for about $50. I presume that it is one of a kind because the "Livemaster" website now marks this item as "sold." FC is well known to us, as is WL. The third doll features the ass and the nightingale. The ass tells the nightingale in the third that he could learn a few things from the rooster! In the fourth, a clever pug gets his reputation as courageous by seeming to take on a fight with an elephant that he knows will never happen. The elephant will not have anything to do with him! The last is the monkey with spectacles on the top of his head instead of in front of his eyes.
Large Carvings and Statues
1980? Ceramic figurine of the fox & the crow. Handpainted. 6" tall x 4" wide x 3½" deep. £12.44 from out-of-curiosity-uk on Ebay, July, '21.
FC is such a popular motif in flat art that I am glad to see it make its way into a three-dimensional object. The only helpful marking on this statue itself is "FOREIGN" stamped into the bottom of the base. The seller describes this object as "unusual, quirky, and rare."
1992 Mexican ceramic tortoise with a moving head. A scene of the hare running is painted on his back. 8" x 5½" x 4½" high. Purchased on Olivera Street in LA. Gift of Margaret Carlson Lytton, Christmas, '93.
The head of the tortoise bobs laboriously whenever he is touched. What a happy thought to paint the hare right onto the back of the tortoise!
1960? Porcelain sculpture of Krylov's "The Cook and the Cat." 8½” x 2⅛“. $41.53 from Soviet Antiques through Ebay, August, '20. One earlier copy from an unknown source?
The cook starts to prepare dinner but steps away from the kitchen for a moment. He returns to find the cat feasting on the entree in the middle of the floor. As the cat feasts on, the cook delivers a lecture on how bad a cat this is! Original box.
1990? Russian scene mostly of wood illustrating FS. There is one more hole, and something -- perhaps a vase? -- may be missing. Givt of Evgony Ponomar, Nov., '18.
What lovely shapes! FS is the unusual fable that has become a staple of Russian culture's stories, even their myths but certainly their legends.
1990? Brass statuette of FC. Wooden base. 4" diameter, 5" height. $50 from liciniogo40 through Ebay, Dec., '22.
Here is another unusual creation! The creator either made or found the two brass figures and matched them with each other by means of a single metal strip. They attend to each other perfectly. Is that a begging stance we see in the fox, with one leg folded over his chest? The swoop of his tail completes the round of this lovely piece!
2000? Metal sculpture of Wolf and Crane. Perhaps steel or aluminum? 12" high. $50 from rescuedrelics2020 through Ebay, 'Jan., '23.
What a dramatic presentation of WC! It is also a substantial piece of work! The textures of fur and feather are particularly well done, and they contrast with the smooth portions of the sculpture nicely. I believe this sculpture is a "must" for the next "fable objects" presentation!
Small Carvings, Statues, & Figurines
1950? Painted wood nodder. 1½" in diameter around the base and 5" high. $11 from Auction, Plantation, FL, through Ebay, August, '00.
The crow is balanced on a slender twig. He thus moves with any movement of the base, and so he appears ready to drop the cheese as he displays his prowess in singing. Might this little piece be either German or oriental?
1960? Plastic statuette of Jean de La Fontaine. 2½" high. Mokarex deposé. $5 from Karolewski Yannick through Ebay, Dec., '02.
This unpainted statuette has a small piece chipped out of the front right corner of its base. Mokarex is a well known producer of many small plastic statues. Online resources indicated the date of this production of La Fontaine, with name and date and his beloved Renard at his feet.
1960? Painted plastic statuette of Jean de La Fontaine. 2½" high. Mokarex deposé. Unknown source.
This statuette adds color to the other exemplar in the collection. I would guess from what I see online that the painting has been done not by Mokarex but by an amateur hand, which may have had trouble both with the the poet's face and with Renard. Are there black foxes?
1970? Ceramic knick-knack of a sleeping hare. 2¼" x 1½" x 2" high. Unknown source.
I cannot remember where or when I found this little fellow. One can only presume, I think, that a sleeping hare comes from TH. The pose here is excellent: the hare leans on one arm with his body slanted diagonally.
1970? Rubber keychain figure of jogging tortoise. 1¼" x 1¾" x 2¾" high. Unknown source.
I cannot remember where or when I found this keychain figure. He is perhaps unusual for such figurines in that he stands up well.
1980? Porcelain DABS figurine of a young girl reading Aesop's Fables to a dog and a bird. 4½" x 1¾" x 6¼" high. Napco C2075. $4.99 from Linda Seminatore, Hudson, NH, through Ebay, Oct., '01. Extra exemplar for $5.99 from fishc74 through Ebay, Sept., 21.
Is this an imitation Hummel figurine? There is no apostrophe in "Aesops" here, as is sometimes the case with real books. A fence connects the girl and the animals. The tail of the bird is broken off. The animals seem to sit still for the stories.
1980? East German wood carving of FG. 3" high. Two exemplars, gifts of Margaret Carlson Lytton and David Daly.
This is an exquisite composite of carved elements. The delicate leaves set off the grapes and especially the fox well. The fox looks straight up attentive to the grapes.
1985 Bespectacled turtle reading book with "Slow and steady wins the race." 2" high. Pat Lane Diaz, Wausau, WI. West Allis Craft Fair. Gift of Lois Carlson.
My mother and I met this artist and asked her if she ever fashioned fable characters. She asked us to return to the next craft fair with a book of fables from which she could work. At each fair over the next several years, she kept bringing for us a new one-of-a-kind character. Here the tortoise has the fable-book open to the moral.
1986 Lion and mouse. 3¼" high. Pat Lane Diaz, Wausau, WI. West Allis Craft Fair. Gift of Lois Carlson.
Here the artist shows a clever way of integrating a second character into a one-mass medium. The physical fit with each other suggests something nice about their mutual need.
1986 Fox holding grapes. 3¼" high. Pat Lane Diaz, Wausau, WI. West Allis Craft Fair. Gift of Lois Carlson.
Here is a little mastepiece! This is perhaps the only time that I have seen the fox holding the grapes. Did he perhaps go out and buy them?
1987 Lois Carlson's scenes in baked clay of exploding frog. 3½" high. Gift of Lois Carlson.
This is the final scene in a series of about five or six scenes to depict OF. What an ingenious way to show an explosion!
1987 Dog holding master's lunch pail. 2¼" high. Pat Lane Diaz, Wausau, WI. West Allis Craft Fair. Gift of Lois Carlson.
Diaz here gives the dog a very winning personality. It is not hard to believe that this dog had the good sense to set his master's lunch down when the alternative was to fight a pack of dogs while struggling to protect the basket from them.
1988 Racing plastic turtle. 2½" high. Funrise Company. $3 from Frances Thompson, Fremont, CA, through Ebay, July, '00.
Frances writes that Funrise put out a line of storybook characters from fairy tales and fables. This little fellow with #18 on his chest has a great smile!
1990? Bone carving of the wolf and stork. 4" x 1 3/8" x 5¼" high. $10.50 from Brenda Lyttle, Orange, TX, through Ebay, June, '00.
The texture and color of each of the figures are different. The stork is a lighter in color and almost translucent, while the wolf is a darker hue. Several inserted pieces of lighter-colored material suggest his teeth well.
1995? East German whittling of FC. 4" high. DEM 15 in Dresden, July, '01.
The same attentive fox is back from the earlier (1985?) wooden presentation of FG. Now he looks up at a crow with a slice of swiss cheese in his mouth. The crow is perched on top of a elaborately shaved tree.
1997 Figures of walking tortoise (#7) and sleeping hare (#13) with runners' numbers. The former is 2½" long, while the latter is 3" long. $5 each from Fredda Ecker of Rainbow Miniatures at NY flea market, April, '97.
On a Sunday in Chelsea, I wondered if I might find something. Here is my find!
1998? Crystal Fruit Tree. 3½" in diameter at its base and 3½" high. Made in China. FineGift. $2.95 from Buyers & Sellers, Fairchild, WI, through Ebay, July, '00.
Two little foxes with golden ears, noses, and tails read up toward the purplish grapes, which are surrounded by green leaves hanging from tendril-heavy vines. The mirrored base is beveled.
2000 Statuette of FG. 2½" x 3" x 4¼" high. Made in China. Dundee, MI: Young's Inc. $5.50 from David Fulk, Mt. Airy, NC, Jan., '01.
How nice to see that people keep on making things reminiscent of fables! The box even tells the fable on two of its sides.
Anita's "This is a Little Wooden Book"
1995 "Aesop's Fables": "This is a Little Wooden Book." 054. Wooden book containing four fable character pairs. DS; TMCM; GA; and TH. Each piece signed "Anita." Unknown source and time of acquisition.
What delightful, exquisite work! The eight pieces fit perfectly into the little "book" with its pivoting cover. Exquisitely cut and painted. I am unsure whether I have correctly identified as the hare in TH the character who proclaims "Can't -- too busy."
