No Baruti for me. Since I don’t get picked from the waitlist and I am not made of money, that’s pretty much the end of that story.
I’ve been compensating for my lack of web special luck this year with the purchase of multiple box lots, and the latest one has been my favorites so far: a body quality Donkey, an early (and quite nice!) #401 Black Stallion, and a vintage custom Black Stallion in need of a hair transplant and some cosmetic surgery!
The Donkey will probably be made into a replica of an antique novelty pincushion, like this one:
It’s an idea I’ve had in the back of my mind for a while now; novelty Victorian pincushions are not uncommon around here – I even own a few! – and it struck me that some the older Breyer molds would make excellent custom pincushions. If this one is successful, I might end up making a whole slew of them for my fellow hobbyist-sewists, because I know you’re out there.
The other custom idea I have for the original Standing Donkey is a replica of the Bremen Town Musicians statue, something I’m sure we’ll see or hear a lot of for next year’s German-inspired BreyerFest:
https://www.bremen.eu/tourism/attractions/bremen-town-musicians
Come to think of it, that would… actually be a really neat Companion Animals Gift Set for the Pop-Up Store. And a pretty popular one, too, considering the prices the older Companions Animals are bringing on the secondary market. (I tried pricing a few for the bodies, but that’s clearly not happening anytime soon, unless I get lucky locally.)
The vintage Black Stallion custom is interesting. The hairing on what’s left of the tail is well-done, he has carved out hooves with frogs, decently modeled genitalia (take my word for it) and the customizing on the head and neck is sophisticated and competent: in other words, this is not the work of an amateur.
But he’s not signed, and I have no idea who could have done him. If anybody has any clues or ideas, let me know. The markings seem specific enough to suggest he might have been a portrait model.
In the meantime, I’ve already started doing some restoration work on him: his legs have been unbent/unwarped, and the mohair for his new mane and tail has already been purchased. If I’m recalling correctly, matching this shade of bay is not particularly hard, either, but finding the time (and natural light!) to do it is the bigger problem.
4 comments:
Oh, what a cool old custom. I bet he was a looker in the show ring back in the day!
That donkey's face seems weirdly unpainted, but the pincushion idea is brilliant (& I don't even sew!). I wonder — could the pincushion itself be made in such a way as to have a handle (replacing the donkey's tail) to pull it up, revealing a space underneath that could hold a couple-three other sewing items, or would the cushion take up the entire body cavity?
Your custom looks like the work of Debra Preuit Lenzer. She lived in Cody, Wyoming. I have a few of her older ponies from the late 1980's and as soon as I saw him I thought - "That model looks familiar." Shot in the dark, but you never know.
Please keep me in mind if you decide to do the donkey pin cushion! I have 3 rescue burros here and I cross stitch like a mad-woman! A burro beside me to hold all the multiple threads I am running at the same time would make my heart sing! (Would love to have the vintage beauty you referenced in your post! Wow!)
Another shot in the dark for your vintage custom is Laura Rock-Smith, circa very early 1980's. In some respects he resembles a Jet Run-turned-trotting Hackney I used to own named "Magician's Birthday."
A third possibility for the artist behind your vintage custom is Elizabeth Bouras. She often didn't sign her work, and this horse looks like one of hers in many regards. On the other hand, he doesn't appear to be airbrushed; her remakes typically are airbrushed.
Post a Comment