2000? Three souvenir tiles from the (former) restaurant "Reinaert" in Sint Niklaas Waas, Belgium. Artist FVI. 4.25" square. Hinged for hanging. Made in Belgium: Décor Naniot, Antwerp. Unknown source.
The three tiles come from a restaurant that in 2012 apparently became "Het Wijnhuis." While only one of the three pictures a fable scene, I am happy to include those celebrating Renard in two of his major moments, with his victim rabbit and with his supposed pilgrimage companion
FG
Reynard sits with Cuwart the hare, messenger from the King, before inviting him in. He will give him to his family as food and send his head back to the king!
After his outrageous handling of Cuwart, Reynard is warned by his relative Grymbart the badger, that things are negative at the court. Reynard had pledged to go to Rome as a pilgrim and still wears his pilgrim outfit. Reynard will of course always prevail in the end!
1991 Three Musical Fables. With music by John Rutter. The King's Singers, City of London Sinfonia, The Cambridge Singers. Published by Hinshaw Music, Inc. Omaha: Collegium Records.
The three stories are "The Reluctant Dragon" with words by David Grant based on a story by Kenneth Grahame, "Brother Heinrich's Christmas" with story and music by John Rutter, and "The Wind in the Willows" with words by David Grant based on the book by Kenneth Grahame. The album is directed especially to Christmas. "Fable" here means "fairy tale." It is a real pleasure to hear both the excellent singing and the clear articulation by singers and readers. The whole production is tasteful, from text to performance. For a special treat, do not miss the sound of Toad's car in the third fable. I also have this presentation on an audio cassette.
1980? Three Korean Bowls Picturing TH. 4.5" in diameter. Gift of Margaret Carlson Lytton.
Each of these bowls presents TH in a stream running from right to left around the curved bowl. How fascinating!
The Start
The Course
The Siesta
The Home Stretch
The Finish Line
1920? Three more kniferests in the same style: "Heron," FG, and FC. Stephane Prudhomme? €60 from Eric Lussot, Le Rheu, France, through Ebay, Sept., '20.
I worked hard to track the silvermarks on these three very nice kniferests. On the web they are declared to be by Stephane Prudhomme by at least one seller. Elsewhere they are grouped with the two already on this page. I tried hard to photograph the silversmith's "mark" but can only get a blurred representation. The scenes on the two above and on the three here are much more developed than those on the Prudhomme set of twelve listed nearby on this website.
1959 Three Italian View-Master Reels. Color 3-D photography of figurines in various styles. B B 3091-3093. Portland, OR: Sawyer's Inc.
I had no idea that View-Master had marketed its reels in Italian! What a delight to find these. The images seem to be the same as those on the reels with English labels. Now, I have to ask what other languages View-Master may have used!
It turns out that the issuing of these stamps was more complex. I found that there are alternative versions of each of the three stamps as well as a background sheet giving perhaps a larger sense of each narrative. $38.90 from csts-trade on eBay, July, '18.
1972 Three individual stamps issued by the Republic of Niger. 25F, 50F, and 75F, respectively. In honor of Jean de La Fontaine. $4.84 from Filkom NV, Bornem, Belgium, through eBay, Oct., '08.
I had earlier found these three stamps in three more unusual forms: imperforates, proofs, and first day issue envelopes. Now, at last, I have found good specimens of the three stamps themselves. Click on an individual stamp to see a more detailed illustration.
1992 Three identical wine labels "1992er Traubensaft der Mosel, Müller-Thurgau." From the vineyards of Friedrich Fuchs in Klüsserath. Gift of Friedrich Fuchs.
I had not known that Herr von Fuchs had his own vineyards. The art here is a mixture of, on the one hand, some lovely colored grapes in a suggestion of a landscape and, on the other, a finely sketched angry fox looking back up at the grapes as he walks away.
2000? Three French Hangable Plates in High Relief: TH, LM, WL. NEM (or ONEM). 7.75" in diameter. Unknown source.
Deep relief scene of the fable, with floral patterns at the sides and a moral below. There is a hook for hanging implanted in the resin back.
2000? Three fable canvas tapestries. 7¾" x 17½". FC, LM, and WL. $26.73 from "Une madeleine de Proust," Villennes-sur-Seine, France, through Etsy, Oct., '22.
Three delightful presentations! I wonder if the maker had patterns to work from or perhaps a book illustration. In any case, the maker chose lively scenes!
1950? Three decks of playing cards showing FG on the backs. Against a black background, a brown fox stands up towards some white and green grapes. A banner in white and green proclaims the title underneath the fox. In the sturdy original 3¾" x 7½" slipcase, stamped with "For Samba or Bolivia" on its felt bottom. Cel-U-Tone Finish. Congress Playing Cards. $4 from John Verderame, Morgantown, PA, through Ebay, Sept., '00.
The set comes with a small brochure that helps to explain why three decks come together, for the brochure contains official rules for Canasta, "Incorporating the Latest Changes Made for 1950." The cards are in very good condition. See the adjoining item for a companion deck.
1990? Three Dahomey Fable Stamps showing TH (10F), FS (35F), and "Le Chat, la Belette et le petit Lapin" (40F). Republique du Dahomey. Each is signed both "(P.) Lambert" and "(C.) Haley." $4.12 from Jan Nackaerts, Bornem, Belgium, through eBay, August, '03.
Each stamp uses three colors effectively together. A main scene, like the tortoise standing triumphant while the hare scurries, is complemented by side figures, like the tortoise dawdling and eating. Just a few evenings ago, I mentioned a propos of the imperforate version I had found of FS that I thought there was a series to which it belonged. Here is the series!
1900? Three broadsides from Imagerie Nouvelle, presenting TB; "The Ass and Lapdog"; and "The Ass Carrying Relics." €9.90 each from bdsetrevuessympas through Ebay, Feb., '23.
As I have remarked about one of the bound versions of Imagerie Nouvelle broadsides, they seem a poor man's Pellerin. Each poster has its own way of integrating text and images. Is that a tabernacle being carried by the ass attended by a monk? As elsewhere, I have questions about coloring of some figures, like that of the ass approaching his seated owner. All three of these sheets bear seven old staple impressions, curiously unevenly spaced. I presume they once were portions of a published album of broadsides like the other in our collection.
1900? Three broadsides apparently from Gordinne in Liège. "Le Renard & la Cicogne, Fable de J. de La Fontaine." No. 104. €6.50 from Laur-art-collection, N.D. de Bordeville, France, through Ebay, March, '22. A second copy and "Le Lion et le Moucheron," No. 127, for €3.25 each from "antikobjet 84200" through Ebay, Dec., '22.
2006 Three bookmark composite puzzles, displaying FC, LM, and "Fables de La Fontaine." Advertising "Le livre et la plume," May 21, 2006, in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne. €12 each from youngpaperboy through Ebay, March, '22.
Each set is by a different artist. This genre is new to me. Five individual bookmarks line up together to make a larger scene from La Fontaine's fables. Who would have thought?! Collecting fables is giving me an education!
Three blue plates, 10½" in diameter, showing "The Lion and the Fox" in two scenes, the first in the foreground with a cringing fox and the second in the background with the fox facing the lion. $9.99 from John Harper, Chesterton, Newcastle, England, through Ebay, August, '99; $22.50 from Paula Brickhouse, East Amherst, NY, through Ebay, Sept., '99; and $19.99 from Darlene Furlong, Menominee, MI, through Ebay, Oct., '99.
1926 Three blotters almost 4" x 9" for the months of October, 1926; August, 1927; and October, 1927. The blotters advertise "Remembrance Advertising." Apparently the maker of this series is C.W. Bloom of Brown & Bigelow on Milk Street in Boston. $36.69 from Carolyn Dias of Norfolk, VA, through eBay, August, '02.
Each long landscape-formatted blotter has a fable on the left. The October, 1926, blotter is a second copy. I had the blotter already. August presents a lovely crow in peacock feathers, with the moral "Borrowed feathers do not make fine birds." October features a bear and a wolf. The latter has a chicken stuffed under his jacket. The moral here is "Honesty is the best policy." I have no idea from which fable this scene or moral may have been supposed to come. The specifics of "Remembrance Advertising" enumerated earlier are no longer mentioned. I am getting close to bringing together the whole year of Bloom blotters!
1926 Three blotters almost 4" x 9" for the months of May, June, and July, 1927. The blotters advertise "Remembrance Advertising." Apparently the maker of this series is C.W. Bloom of Brown & Bigelow on Milk Street in Boston. $20 apiece from Carolyn Dias of Norfolk, VA, through eBay, Jan., '06.
Each long landscape-formatted blotter has a fable on the left. May has two beavers chipping away a bringing down a tree, with the moral "Whatever you do--do it with all your might." My, what things are attributed to dear old Aesop! June shows a monkey swinging upon a huge cluster of bananas, with the moral "Heaven helps those who help themselves." July has the same picture and moral that I have seen elsewhere: "Pride goes before a fall," with a scene depicting two dogs.
2023 Thirteen more stickers from redbubble.com. Nov., '24.
Etsy artists continue to turn to fables for ideas. I may be late to the craze for stickers!
Muddled Fable, AJSRPrints, $5.61
Satyr and Peasant Family, Jan Steen, 1662, $6.61
FG by Bibblued, 2.5", $9.18
FC, by Panagis, 2.7", $1.66
TMCM by Stephanie Smith, 2.9", $1.60
LM Respect Patch, Emily Congdon, 2.9", $1.73
FG by Stephanie Smith, 2.7", $1.60
TH by Sarah Rudge, Queensland, Australia, 3.8", $2.39
The Satyr and the Peasant by Jacob Jordaens, 3.2", $1.60
"Don't Trust Flatterers," ninied, 3.6", $1.73
"Fable of the Hares and the Frogs," Tom Seidmann-Freud, 3.6", $2.26
DS, c. 1310, A APART T, 3.5", $2.26
Shanzabeh in the Pasture, c. 1310, A APART T, 3.7", $2.26
Muddled Fable, 8.5" x 8.5". AJSRPrints, $9.17
