Hummel Book 1964 & Little Fiddler Plate Goebel 1984
"The Hummel-Book by the late Berta Hummel with Poems and Preface by Margarete Seemann" translated from the German by Lola Ch. Eytel, published by Emil Fink-Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany, 1st edition of the English translation, 9th printing, 1964. [1st printing of the German edition- 1934/ 1st print of the English version- 1950]. Printed in Germany.
The original hand painted Hummel's "Little Fiddler" porcelain plate by Goebel, W. Germany, 1984, First edition, is included in this lot. The plate is in a specially designed wooden frame by Mini Jours Design Studio.
Original dust jacket [some edge wear], the jacket is in clear mylar cover; hard boards, original blue cloth [a little fade on the edges]; gold lettering on the front board and spine, 6" x 9"; 64 pages, almost each page is illustrated, high quality glossy paper, a little foxing, very good condition. The plate is only 4" across; hand painted relief; the frame is 5.1/2" x 6.1/2", fine condition.
Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel (1909-1946) was a famous German Franciscan sister and artist. She is noted for her paintings which were the basis for Hummel figurines.
After completing her novitiate year, Hummel was assigned to teach art in a nearby school run by the convent. Though her days were busy teaching, Hummel spent her spare time painting pictures of children. The sisters were impressed with her art and sent copies to Emil Fink Verlag, a publishing house in Stuttgart which specialized in religious art, to which Hummel reluctantly agreed. The company decided to release copies of the works in postcard form, which were popular in the early 20th century. In 1934, it also published a collection of her drawings, titled Das Hummel-Buch [The Hummel Book], with poetic text by the Austrian writer Margarete Seemann.
Soon afterward, Franz Goebel, the owner of a porcelain company, was looking for a new line of artwork, and happened to see some of these postcards in a shop in Munich. Hummel agreed, mostly for its saving the employment of many workers, and the convent granted him sole rights to make figurines based on her art. Interest in the figurines increased after they were displayed in 1935 at the Leipzig Trade Fair, a major international trade show. A decade later, the figurines would gain popularity in the United States when returning American soldiers brought them home.
In 1937, Hummel released a painting titled "The Volunteers", which drew the enduring hatred of Adolf Hitler, who attacked the art, denouncing the depiction of German children with "hydrocephalic heads". Although the Nazi authorities allowed Hummel to work, they banned the distribution of her art in Germany. One Nazi magazine, "The SA Man" (issue of 23 March 1937), wrote of her work, "There is no place in the ranks of German artists for the likes of her. No, the 'beloved Fatherland' cannot remain calm when Germany's youth are portrayed as brainless sissies."
In 1940, the Nazi government closed all religious schools, including those of Siessen where Hummel tought. Later that year, it seized the convent itself, forcing most of the community to leave. Out of a community of some 250 sisters, the 40 sisters who were allowed to remain were confined to a small section of the convent, living there without heat and without any means to support themselves. Hummel was given a small cell which served as both sleeping quarters and her studio. The Nazis took half of the money generated by her work, but the remaining funds were the main source of income of the sisters there. Food was scarce and it was very cold in the winter. Mother Augustine later wrote of that period, "What we suffered was indescribable."
Hummel was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1944 and was sent twice to a sanatorium in Isny im Allgau. She returned to the convent after five months, just before the region was liberated by the Free French Forces. She did not recover, and died on 6 November 1946, aged 37. She was buried in the convent cemetery.
Goebel, his team of artists, and a board of sisters from the convent carried on her legacy through the figurines, all of which were based on her artwork. Goebel Germany discontinued the figures in October 2008.
US: Priority (c.2-5 days) ----------------- $9.50
Canada: 1st Class (c.2-6 weeks) ------ $22.50
World: 1st Class (c.2-8 weeks) ------- $31.50
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"The Hummel-Book by the late Berta Hummel with Poems and Preface by Margarete Seemann" translated from the German by Lola Ch. Eytel, published by Emil Fink-Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany, 1st edition of the English translation, 9th printing, 1964. [1st printing of the German edition- 1934/ 1st print of the English version- 1950]. Printed in Germany.
The original hand painted Hummel's "Little Fiddler" porcelain plate by Goebel, W. Germany, 1984, First edition, is included in this lot. The plate is in a specially designed wooden frame by Mini Jours Design Studio.
Original dust jacket [some edge wear], the jacket is in clear mylar cover; hard boards, original blue cloth [a little fade on the edges]; gold lettering on the front board and spine, 6" x 9"; 64 pages, almost each page is illustrated, high quality glossy paper, a little foxing, very good condition. The plate is only 4" across; hand painted relief; the frame is 5.1/2" x 6.1/2", fine condition.
Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel (1909-1946) was a famous German Franciscan sister and artist. She is noted for her paintings which were the basis for Hummel figurines.
After completing her novitiate year, Hummel was assigned to teach art in a nearby school run by the convent. Though her days were busy teaching, Hummel spent her spare time painting pictures of children. The sisters were impressed with her art and sent copies to Emil Fink Verlag, a publishing house in Stuttgart which specialized in religious art, to which Hummel reluctantly agreed. The company decided to release copies of the works in postcard form, which were popular in the early 20th century. In 1934, it also published a collection of her drawings, titled Das Hummel-Buch [The Hummel Book], with poetic text by the Austrian writer Margarete Seemann.
Soon afterward, Franz Goebel, the owner of a porcelain company, was looking for a new line of artwork, and happened to see some of these postcards in a shop in Munich. Hummel agreed, mostly for its saving the employment of many workers, and the convent granted him sole rights to make figurines based on her art. Interest in the figurines increased after they were displayed in 1935 at the Leipzig Trade Fair, a major international trade show. A decade later, the figurines would gain popularity in the United States when returning American soldiers brought them home.
In 1937, Hummel released a painting titled "The Volunteers", which drew the enduring hatred of Adolf Hitler, who attacked the art, denouncing the depiction of German children with "hydrocephalic heads". Although the Nazi authorities allowed Hummel to work, they banned the distribution of her art in Germany. One Nazi magazine, "The SA Man" (issue of 23 March 1937), wrote of her work, "There is no place in the ranks of German artists for the likes of her. No, the 'beloved Fatherland' cannot remain calm when Germany's youth are portrayed as brainless sissies."
In 1940, the Nazi government closed all religious schools, including those of Siessen where Hummel tought. Later that year, it seized the convent itself, forcing most of the community to leave. Out of a community of some 250 sisters, the 40 sisters who were allowed to remain were confined to a small section of the convent, living there without heat and without any means to support themselves. Hummel was given a small cell which served as both sleeping quarters and her studio. The Nazis took half of the money generated by her work, but the remaining funds were the main source of income of the sisters there. Food was scarce and it was very cold in the winter. Mother Augustine later wrote of that period, "What we suffered was indescribable."
Hummel was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1944 and was sent twice to a sanatorium in Isny im Allgau. She returned to the convent after five months, just before the region was liberated by the Free French Forces. She did not recover, and died on 6 November 1946, aged 37. She was buried in the convent cemetery.
Goebel, his team of artists, and a board of sisters from the convent carried on her legacy through the figurines, all of which were based on her artwork. Goebel Germany discontinued the figures in October 2008.
US: Priority (c.2-5 days) ----------------- $9.50
Canada: 1st Class (c.2-6 weeks) ------ $22.50
World: 1st Class (c.2-8 weeks) ------- $31.50
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Time, Location
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