German Handcraft Imports represents
companies and craftspeople who uphold the standards of quality expected from
German artisans. Most of our products come from the Erzgebirge, where traditions
of woodcraft run strongly through generations of families. Nestled in
countryside much like the charming scenes depicted in storybooks and crèches,
these artisans draw from their surroundings to give life to their work --
everything from the scenery and the tranquil atmosphere to the hospitable
villages’ love for children. Their reputation for quality has made Erzgebirge
items a favorite of collectors worldwide.
For our non-wood items, we’ve turned
to traditional craftspeople in other parts of Germany where their specialties
were also honed in painstaking family traditions. For all these craftspeople,
it’s a matter of pride to create figures that closely adhere to the
long-standing traditions that live directly in their regions’ histories. Whether
our suppliers are larger companies or individual masters, all our products have
a long history of fine workmanship.
Matthias Hillig | Klaus
Merten | Erzgebirgische Volkskunst Richard
Glaesser | Christian Werner |
Wendt & Kuehn
Dregeno Seiffen | Blank
Workshop | Wiedemann Candles |
Klaus Huebsch | Koestel |
Berta Marx
Flade | Mueller Kleinkunst
| Lotte Sievers-Hahn
Matthias
Hillig is a younger craftsman (at the tender age of 43!) working
exclusively in the old folk art tradition. His figures have more life-like arms
and feet that are shaped from “dough” (a mixture of bone meal, sawdust and glue)
and are attached to a wooden body. Few people work in this traditional, slow,
multi-layered process, and he and his wife make only limited batches every year.
We are proud to be his exclusive US distributor.
Among his fine work is a
folk art
nativity scene that portrays the heart of Christmas with elegant clarity.
Along with the Holy Family, he includes in his crèches King Herod and his
soldiers who persecuted the “newborn king.” The addition of these figures in
nativity scenes is unique to the Erzgebirge.
Hillig also makes
incense-burning
smokers, angels and figures from old-fashioned children’s stories and cartoons.
Klaus Merten
has been producing figures since the 1980s when he retired from his job as a
restorer in the Erzgebirge Folk Art Museum in Seiffen. He crafts his figures in
the tradition of the first
Smokers. Working out of a family workshop with his
wife and son, Klaus imbues all of his carefully crafted Smokers with a warmth that
comes from the heart of a craftsman. In fact, he puts so much into his work that
his figures even resemble him! Klaus also makes figures with arms, feet and
faces of dough like Matthias Hillig (special order only). His workshop also
offers oversized nutcrackers—his son’s specialty.
Erzgebirgische Volkskunst
Richard Glässer was originally a family
business founded in 1932 when Richard Glaesser started as an independent
tradesman in Seiffen, an area of the Erzgebirge. When he added wooden figures to
his list of wares, he quickly grasped their popularity and, in the 1940s, the
company began producing the figures in-house. Nationalized during the communist
era, the company was again brought under private family ownership in 1990
following the reunification of Germany. Glaesser had always insisted that his
figures maintain a friendly appearance and be of the highest quality while
remaining affordable. As in the past, all the figures are still based on
traditional motifs—from fairy tale figures to miners and angels. Since its
inception, the company has grown and expanded its array of products to become a
leading maker of pyramids, turned-wood figures (including smokers and
nutcrackers), nativity scenes, candle arches and music boxes.
Christian Werner descends from a family of craftspeople. His specialty
is building
Noah’s arks,
lathe-turned ark animal figurines and
“Garden of Eden”
pyramids. His workshop also offers products built by his father, who specializes
in miner parades and scenes, and his brother Wolfgang, who creates
mechanical
toys and music boxes.
Originally trained as a toy maker in
his father’s workshop, Christian furthered his skills by going to school for toy
making and later for lathe turning. He is now a master woodturner (one of only a
few), who still cuts, carves and paints his figures by hand.
Wendt and
Kuhn (or Wendt and Kuehn), established in 1915, is an established and
respected presence in the Erzgebirge toy craft tradition. Known for their
delightful wooden figures, angels and music boxes, their products have been a
mainstay at exhibitions and trade fairs all over the world. Their sensitively
rendered figurines won kudos at competitions and at the 1937 World Exhibition in
Paris, and their reputation for quality has never faltered since. Still
manufactured by hand, their products are actively sought by collectors
worldwide.
Dregeno
Seiffen represents a number of small workshops. Focusing resources on
their craft, these workshops go through Dregeno to market their products. All
their goods are made with the excellence expected of Erzgebirge products.
Blank
Workshop is best known for their
Angel Orchestra collectibles. Three
generations of the Blank family have crafted these pleated-skirt angels,
patented long ago by the grandfather. Using a meticulous process, a single angel
requires 150 different stages to completion. Their Gruenhainicher angels with
pleated skirts still comprise their flagship line.
Wiedemann Candles is an established company, since 1861, with 120
workers and a vast selection of candles for every occasion. Having many
different motifs, they offer various sizes of pillar and ball candles: simple
candles perfect for Advent wreaths, candle arches and pyramids; and decorated
varieties which serve as focal points for holiday activities and other festive
occasions. Many churches grace their altars with candles from this company.
Klaus
Huebsch took up the reins of his family’s Erzgebirschen workshop in 1978
after completing his schooling as a master toy maker. Navigating through the
tumultuous economic times of 1990, he instigated the necessary changes to his
business while always maintaining focus on traditional craftsmanship. Today, he
specializes in making pyramids—anywhere between three and six tiers—which go as
high as 70cm. The pyramids display figurines and scenes derived from classic
German folk tales and images.
Koestel
began when Mrs. Koestel made wax dolls as gifts for family and friends.
Originally from Dresden, a region close to the Erzgebirge, Mrs. Koestel
eventually settled in Bavaria where she continued the unique tradition of making
wax figures. Today, the company continues the fine tradition began by its
founder through the traditional Koestel Line which carries the original designs
by Mrs. Koestel herself.
Berta Marx
lives in Köln (Cologne), Germany where she began making her fine quality
wax
angels in the 1980s. Recognized for their high quality, her angel figures are
recognizable by their lovely braided or freely curling hair, gold-painted
feathered wings and silk dresses. Within a short time of her shop opening, she
gained wide popularity among collectors.
Flade
(formerly Flade & Wiltner) was started by two sisters, both daughters of a
well-known folk art designer. Precipitated by the fall of the Berlin Wall, the
company was founded when the Flade sisters found themselves jobless in a
reunified Germany. Re-embracing the folk art design training that they received
from their father, the sisters and their father began the company. Known best
for their charming figures made with the trademark flax hair (instead of painted
hair), their products are favorites among collectors.
Mueller Kleinkunst recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary (in
1999). Furthermore, Ringo Mueller appeared on Martha Stewart’s show a year ago,
gaining even more exposure for the company. Since the show,
Mueller pyramids and
arches have been in high demand, often selling out their inventory at various
vendors. We have plentifully stocked a variety of arches and pyramids from this
and many other companies.
The
Lotte Sievers-Hahn family-run workshop has held a 70-year tradition of
making striking limewood figures -- their signature. Each figure is an original
-- carved entirely by hand and painted in rich oil colors. As such they
are extremely collectible and remain popular gifts. We carry the
crèches
(nativity scene figures). Although these figures have their roots in the Erzgebirge tradition, their designs are quite unique among the folk art
tradition.
