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The Smoker

This colourful company of fellows with their pipes has become the most favorite characters of the Erzgebirge art of wood turning. In all colors and shapes they create a relaxed atmosphere in every room thanks to the cheerfulness they diffuse and the aromatic fragrance of the fumigating candles. Once you are captured by their charm, you will soon want to have your own complete collection of smoker manikins.

Love at the first sight

The Fascination of these little coloured Erzgebirge Figurines is very remarkable. You can hardly take away of it. What is it, that they win our heart at once? Is it the loving naivety look? Is it the natural material wood? The shining colours? The feeling that these figurines are handmade by human beings? Is it of how they wake up our imagination or the memory on our own childhood and the longing after a time, where Elf’s lived and Nutcrackers could speak? Maybe the cause of it is that they carry the soul of the Erzgebirge and the bequest of a hundreds of years old tradition in it.

From the Ore to wood

As the tin & ore was depleted, underground shelters needed to be build with great difficulty into the Mountains. The search after tin and other metal began to be harder. It came the time as the mining wasn’t enough to feed the whole region. It wasn’t possible to build up an agriculture in the mountains. Many miners started to carve wood, to earn a bit more. The seven years lasting War stopped the mining nearly completely. In 1765 the people earned more with the wood turning as before with mining. A new Epoch began. 

A Figurine wakes up to live.

Around 300 years ago, no one really knows it exactly, as the first figurine was made. Maybe it was a Father, who wanted to make a toy for his children. Maybe it just was a mistake in turning the wood and it looked like a doll. A head with torso. Two black eyes, the nose, a red mouth and the piece of wood turned into a figurine. Then it was colored to give it more details. As the first figurine was finished, in that moment the creator did probably not knew that he started a new tradition, that lives on till today. But it must have had a special charisma. Because it did not take long till many different Pieces where all around in different sizes and colours.

The Beginning of a boundless friendship

Soon theses little dolls and figurines captured their place in the hearts of human being. Since they had a good price, the manufacturers did get more orders every year and had to expand the production. New figurines and styles came up out of the mining and farming live. At the end of the 18th century, the figurines started their triumphal march around the world. Also in the USA and England the kids played with this nice looking toys made in the "Toyland", how the region is called since these days. The manufacturers couldn’t handle all orders and came in trouble to produce that much.

Original Erzgebirge - Wood Art with love.

It is a fact, that everything what is good and has success, will find someone to imitate it. Also the Erzgebirge Wood Art couldn’t escape. There are not much figurines that haven’t been replicated over the years. You can call it a compliment, since it shows how valuable and demanded the figurines are. But who wants that his friends gets fooled with replicas, which quality is much poorer that the original once. Some of them you can identify easy, since they carry a mark with "Republic of China" on them. You can not give the guilt to the Chinese workers, which are working for some Yuan per month. Mostly the importing companies are guilty and want to earn a higher profit. But especially the replicas without any mark are the worsest.

WITH US YOU CAN SHOP SAVE AND YOU GET 100% MADE IN GERMANY WITH STAMP OR CERTIFICATE.

You cant copy the soul of the Erzgebirge

Like 300 years ago, the same wood is used out of the region. The wood has the highest quality standards and is inspected carefully. The figurines are made exactly like in the old days. With every step it gets a bit more of the Erzgebirge soul.

This investment will keep its Value throughout the years as we guarantee the collection will expand and you can complete it.

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