235. Holy Finds! RELIGIOUS PRINTS

As a collector of sacred art, I got excited when i saw these very old black and white prints showing religious figures, Biblical scenes and character at an art shop in Devonport, New Zealand. They are rather large prints and seemed to have come from the same book. There were classic representations of the Immaculate Conception, The Scourging of Christ, the Holy Family, The Way of the Cross--and so much more, probably printed in Italy. Some of the scenes are captioned in Spanish, French and English. The curator/shop owner told me they date back to the late 1890s-1900, making them authetic 100 year old antique. She was kind enough too, to give me a special package price for 3 lovely prints. In Manila, these would probably be worth Php 5,000 apiece, as European-made religious prints are hard to come by--last time I saw a black and white Currier & Ives print of Sacred Heart for sale locally was over a decade ago--and that was American-made!

234. WE THREE KINGS: Nativity Figures

Christmas is still a long way off, but I just have to show this trio of plastic royalties that dates back to the psychedelic 60s. I found these in the weekend Avondale Market in Auckland, NZ--which is basically a farmer's market with a sprinkling of open stalls selling vintage stuff. Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar may have been part of a Nativity set, typical of examples cheaply sold in the 50s and 60s. I couldn't find a manufacturer's mark, maybe these were made in Hong Kong. Holiday collectibles such as these have their own crazy collectors--and I guess I am one of them. Right now, this  merry plastic trio are gathered 'round my little plastic Christmas tree that is displayed year-round in my little house, ready to welcome visitors with their plastic gifts of myrrh, gold and frankincense.

210. FIGURAL GOOGLIE CREAMER

I found this googlie-eyed creamer staring at me in an antique shop in Devonport, New Zealand, a charming, seaside resort in Auckland. Figural creamers have been around for so long and most are in the shape of cows, people heads and other animals. This one though, is quite a character. I did a bit of research but found nothing of this houseware collectible that definitely dates from the 1950s. For some reason, it reminded me of a man-in-the-moon or one of those nursery rhyme characters--Humpty Dumpty perhaps. Maybe it was part of a set or a premium giveaway from a now-extinct product. I thought I paid a bit too much for this creamer (30NZ$, or close to a thousand bucks), but then I'd be whacking my head now if I hadn't gotten it. I am sure I will be staring back at this googlie creamer each time I drink my coffee, amused by the thought that I will be as wide-eyed as him in the morning!!