FOLK ART
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	Click on image for more views		1882 Italian/Sicilian Folk Art Retablo Dated 1882. Hand-painted and carved wood retablo. Dimensions are 11 3/8" x 21". Condition is museum quality, painted surface is excellent, there is a hairline crack along the grain in upper left corner. Signed by the artist. The scene is of a miraculous event dated July 19, 1882. There are two carved angels in the upper corners. A saint resides in the clouds above. There is a caption written in an old dialect of Italian, probably Sicilian.		Item #: fa01 $1,350
	Collection of VIntage1940's - 1950's Russian Fairy Tale Folk Art Clay Figure This collection of Russian Folk Art hand-painted clay figure was made in the 1940's to 1950's as part of a cultural crafts revival in the former Soviet Union. These figures are made in exactly the same way they have been for hundreds of years in small villages across Russia. The whimsical and colorful pieces portray various characters from well-known Russian folklore and fairy tales. The more muted fantastical animal figures portray anciet mythological creatures. These clay figures were made as toys for children, which is why some show natural wear, indicating, in our opinion, that these pieces were made for personal use rather than or export or for tourists, giving them added value and authenticity as folk art works. All the pieces came out of the same collection—from a 90+ year-old Russian woman who collected them in Russia in the 1950's through 1960's.
	Click on image for more views		VIntage Russian Fairy Tale Folk Art Clay Figure This scene includes a seated man, a his goat, a bird sitting in a tree with a little 'mukhamor' or amanita mushroom growing at it's base. It is about 5 inches tall. It is in very good condition with a few spots where the paint has worn off.		Item #: fa02 —SOLD—
	Click on image for more views		Vintage Russian Arkhangelsk Folk Art Clay Figure These whimsical and colorful pieces portray various characters from well-known Russian folklore and fairy tales. This dancing clay couple is the oldest form of this knid of folk art. They were made in the Arkhangelsk region, in Northwestern Russia, just south of the White Sea. Measurement is 7 1/2 inches tall.		Item #: fa04 —SOLD—
	Click on image for more views		Vintage Russian Folk Art Clay Figure—Lady with Muff This figure is a well-dressed woman wearing a blue-feathered hat, a lovely decorative patterned skirt with a ruffled hemline and her hands tucked into a muff. Her fitted jacket gives the figure a bell-shaped sillouette. It is a very colorful piece with lots of charm and character. The condition is very good, there are no cracks. The paint has some missing flakes here and there, mostly on the black muff where it was mostly handled, revealing the white undercoat of paint and in a few spots the clay color. It may be from the Kursk region of Southwestern Russia. The piece stands 6 1/4" tall.		Item #: fa06 $125
	Click on image for more views		Vintage Russian Folk Art Clay Figure—Woman Baking Bread This charming piece is from the same collection as described above. The theme is a classic Russian one of the woman baking bread in the family hearth. She is wearing her 'babushka', a decorative head scarf, and embroidered dress. This type of figure I belive was made in the Kursk region of Southwestern Russia which borders the Ukraine. Condition is excellent with no chips or cracks in the paint or clay. Age: 1940-50's. Size is: 7" x 3" x 5."		Item #: fa07 —SOLD—
	Click on image for more views		Vintage Russian Folk Art Clay Figure—Man with Horse and Plow This classic Russian piece, made in Archangelsk, is from the same collection as described above. The theme is a farmer plowing his field with a draft horse. His full fanned-out beard, fur hat and belted tunic really captures the spirit of the Russian peasant. The forward-pulling gesture of the horse and deliberate stance of the farmer artistically expresses the laborious effort of preparing the soil for Spring planting, and important theme in Russian folklore and peasant life. Condition is very good with no chips or cracks in the paint or clay. Age: 1940-50's. Size is: 8" long		Item #: fa08 —SOLD—
	Click on image for more views		Vintage 1940-1950's Russian Folk Art Clay Figure This unusual figure is a long-necked horned creature being milked by a small human figure sitting at it's side on a stool. It has a whistle for a tail which has a wonderful sound when blown. These figures were made as childrens toys and so the whistle gives it added interest. This is one of the oldest forms of this kind of folk art. This piece is from Western Russia. Measurement is 6 3/4 inches tall. Condition is good considering the age and delicate nature of the materials. There is some minor paint wear on the side of the creature opposite the seated figure, along the neck and back where the figure was handled. There are also several small hairline surface cracks where the clay contracted slightly but do not effect the integrity of the structure or the aesthetic quality of the piece.		Item #: fa09 —SOLD—
	Click on image for more views		Vintage Russian Folk Art Clay Figure This fantastic animal figure with a rider on it's back has an elongated neck and is one of the oldest forms of this type of folk art. This piece is from the Archangelsk region in Northwestern Russia, just south of the White Sea. Colors are muted ochre, sienna and dark slate gray on a natural white unpainted clay. This one has a whistle protruding from it's right side, giving it added interest. Condition is very good, with some minor paint wear along the areas where the piece was handled. There are no cracks. Measurement is 7 inches tall.		Item #: fa11 —SOLD—
	Click on image for more views		Vintage Russian Folk Art Clay Figure This fantastic animal figure with massive twisted rams horns and a bird merged with it's neck and head is one of the oldest forms of this type of folk art. The face on this figure has much character, and the way the bird and ram are merged together conveys the creatures more mythological nature. This one has a whistle protruding from it's right side, perhaps a way to summon this beast from the other realms.This piece is from the Archangelsk region in Northwestern Russia, just south of the White Sea. Colors are muted ochre, sienna and dark slate gray on a natural white unpainted clay. Condition is good, colors a little more faded and muted than the previous piece, with some minor paint wear along the areas where the piece was handled. There are no cracks. Measurement is 6 inches tall.		Item #: fa12 —SOLD—
	Click on image for more views		Vintage Russian Folk Art Clay Figure This animal figure is from the Archangelsk region in Russia, and is of a different style than the other brown animal figures from the same region, illustrating the artistic creativity that went into the making of these figures. This is the only one like it in this collection. However, based on this more refined decorative style, the slightly brighter pigment color and better condition—in contrast to more "primitive" or naive style of the other brown figures—my guess is that this piece is more recent, perhaps made in the 1950-s or 1960's. It is hand-formed and made of natural clay and pigment. It is a mythological creature, as it has three legs, appears to be a hoofed animal, perhaps a sheep or goat, with painted wings and decorative blanket or carpet on the the back of it's charming gourd-like body. Condition is excellent with no paint wear or cracks. Dimensions are 4 1/2" from nose to tip of tail and 3 7/8" tall.		Item #: fa13 —SOLD—
	Click on image for more views		Vintage Russian Folk Art Clay Figure—Drummer This is one of two such figures in this collection of a seated musician. This one appears to be playing a drum. Colors are a very vibrant palette of blue, yellow, green, orange, red, brown, white and black. The figure cleverly is seated on his coat tails, which has a floral motif painted on it. Condition is excellent with only one spot of wear on the left shoulder which has been touched up with a similar brown pigment. Measurement is 4 inches high.		Item #: fa14 —SOLD—
	Click on image for more views		Vintage Russian Folk Art Clay Figure—Accordian Player This is one of two such figures in this collection of a seated musician. This one appears to be playing an accordian. Colors are a very vibrant palette of blue, yellow, green, orange, red, brown, white and black. The figure cleverly is seated on his coat tails, which has a floral motif painted on it. Condition is good but the tip of his right foot is chipped off and touched up with yellow paint. Measurement is 4 inches high.		Item #: fa15 —SOLD—