About Me

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No Fixed Abode, Home Counties, United Kingdom
I’m a 60-year-old Aspergic gardening CAD-Monkey. Sardonic, cynical and with the political leanings of a social reformer, I’m also a toy and model figure collector, particularly interested in the history of plastics and plastic toys. Other interests are history, current affairs, modern art, and architecture, gardening and natural history. I love plain chocolate, fireworks and trees, but I don’t hug them, I do hug kittens. I hate ignorance, when it can be avoided, so I hate the 'educational' establishment and pity the millions they’ve failed with teaching-to-test and rote 'learning' and I hate the short-sighted stupidity of the entire ruling/industrial elite, with their planet destroying fascism and added “buy-one-get-one-free”. Likewise, I also have no time for fools and little time for the false crap we're all supposed to pretend we haven't noticed, or the games we're supposed to play. I will 'bite the hand that feeds', to remind it why it feeds.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

G is for Girls, Grandad and Gallic Gunmen!

Just a quick one tonight, the photograph can tell you almost as much as I can, previously unknown to me these were at an antiques fair at Alexandra Palace this Sunday just gone, and I would assume some sort of decorative items.

The subject matter is a bit 'Dickensian', or...more like the output of both the Italian company Nardi, who - in plastic - do a lot of rural/rustic/nativity stuff and the Spanish firms who make the little terracotta people with paper hats,; Bull-fighters and maids usually, with childlike countenances.

As these are also terracotta, I'm guessing somewhere in the South-west of France? They seem to be a group of 'village' women, an older Shepard and a group of younger hunters? Any other information on these and the company - Senton - would be most welcome. Height is around 65mm.

Later - much later; Now known to be Santons, French nativity scene items

4 comments:

Sam Wise said...

... It seems that they are figures used in South of France (Provence) for the Nativity .
Their name is "Santon de Provence".
tried a quick search on e-bay: nothing for this manufacturer (an old one it seems) but you can also do a search with "santon organon"...
if I'll have time, I'll do for you!
cheers,
Pascal

Hugh Walter said...

Thanks Sam - I should have Googled it myself really but it was a quick post and if I Googled everything I'd never get anything published! I did wonder if 'Organon' was a department, prefecture or arondisment or something...nice when you fill in the blanks.

Thanks again
Hugh

Anonymous said...

Good morning,

Senton is a medicin, produced by Organon. Organon is a pharmaceutical industry, with its roots in the Netherlands (city of Oss). They had also a branch in Brussels (Belgium).

With best regards,
Paul de Jong

p.jong@gmx.de

Hugh Walter said...

Thanks Paul! Very useful; so you think maybe they are S'a'ntons issued as a premium of some kind with S'e'nton products?

By coincidence, there are some more Santons in the queue!

H