Sebnitz
Ornaments are made of various materials:
wire - Leonean wire (leonische Drähte) - perforated foil - crepe paper - chenille - wax - Glass - silk - wood - Dresdner cardboard - cotton - cork - tinfoil (Staniol) - paper - feathers - angel hair - greenery - nutshells - scraps (Oblaten). ..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The above wire-wrapped and tin foil covered birdcage and balloons with angel hair & chromos, date from the 1930s. Most of the Leonean wire has gone due to brittleness from age. |
"Bratwurstglöcklein" with a bell at the side:This ornament represents the historic inn “Bratwurstglöcklein”, legendary famous for its Nuremberg sausages, a speciality since the middle ages. When the sausages were nearly roasted, the innkeeper rang the bell to inform people that they could come and eat. The original inn no longer exists, being completely destroyed together with the Moritzkapelle against which it was built, by the 3rd of October 1944 bombings.
A commemorative plaque is mounted where the original Bratwurstglöcklein + Moritzkapelle were, with the following text: “Hier stand die Moritzkapelle mit dem Bratwurstglocklein von 1313 bis zur zerstorung im Krief 1944. Ihr Wiederaufbau bleibt zukünftigen Generationen vorbehalten." (Here stood the Moritz chapel with the Bratwurstglocklein from 1313 to the destruction in 1944. Its reconstruction remains subject to future generations). But so far nobody did. However there exists a modern "Bratwurstglöcklein" right in front where the old one was.
Information supplied by a very friendly person, Chris.
|
These are two birdhouses, cardboard covered with cotton and crinkle wire (Leonean);
have seen them labeled as Sebnitz and therefor showing them here also.
Is also under Paper/Houses & Nativity page. |

Two similar wooden baskets covered with staniol and inside a scrap baby Jezus on tinsel.
Also shown under wood, ornaments.
|
Below a few ornaments, the primary subjects made of cotton, but which I have been told are Sebnitz. They are shown in the cotton page also. |
Cotton spider with wire legs in a web:
spider is covered with small pieces of purple crèpe paper and small painted green specks on his cotton body;
the web is made of wire and silk thread;
all is covered with a transparant substance to imitate dew on the spider's web |

Cotton fruit in half of a golden painted nutshell,
used to make a basket with tinsel handle
|
Cotton air balloon with scrap angel
and crinkle Leonean wire |

Two cotton birds in cage
with tinsel flowers
|
|
|
Tragant
Originally served the pharmacists as stabilization and bonding agent.
When this gum from the box thorn was mixed with sugar, water and sometimes
eggs, it became a well malleable dough. It was often molded in flat modelling
casts. When dried in a warm oven it became very hard, was less porous
than other dough and could therefore be finely painted. |
The tragant figures are between 10 and 5 cm high. |
|

Tragant doggy in Gablonz doghouse
|
|
|
Small nativity set with tragant figures under a glass dome on a wooden stand. I have seen several of these and although the figures are often from the same mold, the set-up varies.
the "cave" also often being similar and the nativity glued to the, in this case, wooden base, sometimes being of cardboard.
So I presume it was homemade craft from an instruction page in a magazine or such.
Dimensions: ca 13,5cm high dome included, the base is 12cm wide.
|
Wax |
Small wax angels with Dresden wings; 6cm high. |
Wax fruit, 4,5 and 6,5cm high |
|
Angel with wax head & cotton arms/hands, paper & foil dressing,
should have
spun glass hair, ca 17cm high |

Angel with wax head & hands, foil and tinsel dressing,
imitation
hair, rather modern, ca 15cm high |

Angel with wax head & candles,
paper, foil & brocade dressing,
spun glass hair, ca 24cm high |
|
|
|
Crib marked "LAB" or "LHB" and "DÉPOSÉ" and the number "I" I presume; ca 9cm wide. How I would love to have the complete nativity set! |
|