"Ultimate" Figures from Dragon In Dreams

When I was a child my parents took us to see one of Oregon's tourist attractions called Sea Lion Caves. As a little girl, all I remember about the sea lions was that the sea cave where they lolled about really stunk. [The facility has since improved its access to the sea caves and the views are actually quite spectacular. They have also installed a wonderful bronze sculpture of a group of sea lions on the observation deck behind the gift shop now.] However, I remember vividly some beautiful horse statues in the gift shop that were covered with real horse hair and had real leather tack. I even remember the price, $125, which was a fortune back in the mid-50s.

Now, after all these years, I have added a horse covered with real horse hair (I think- at least it looks real) to my collection along with a magnificent 12" figure of Samurai Takeda Shingen spectacularly equipped with beautifully detailed armor and real metal weapons.

"Shingen was a Japanese warlord of great domestic skill and competent military leadership. He was a complicated figure, at times utterly cruel. Earlier in his life, he had forced the Shinano warlord Suwa Yorishige, to commit suicide (or had him murdered) after the two warlords had signed a peace treaty, and then proceeded to take Suwa's daughter as a mistress, ignoring the fact that she was techincally his own niece. In 1565, he ordered his own son, Yoshinobu, confined to a temple and evidently made him commit suicide for treasonous activity, as well as the man who had once been his guardian, Obu Toramasa. His domestic policies demonstrate the duality of Takeda Shingen. On one hand, he kept two iron cauldrons on hand to boil alive certain criminals (a practice considered sufficiently cruel enough to provoke Tokugawa Ieyasu to have the cauldrons destroyed years later). On the other, he did away with corporal punishment for most minor offences, instituting in it's place a system of fines - an act that earned him considerable praise from the peasants and townspeople of Kai. Shingen's law was not considered overly harsh, and his was one of the few Sengoku Period administrations prior to 1582 to tax most of his subjects evenly (most exempted powerful samurai families and/or religious establishments) and with the option of payment in either gold or rice (a forerunner, in some ways, to the later Kandaka system).

Perhaps the greatest praise paid Shingen was by Tokugawa Ieyasu himself. Following the defeat of Katsuyori in 1582 and the death of Oda Nobunaga, Ieyasu assumed control of Kai, and borrowed freely from Shingen's style and techniques of governance, which he later included in his model for the Tokugawa Shôgunate." - The Samurai Archives

The figure is so beautifully detailed that I'm almost afraid to take it out of the box. I won't until I get a special display case for it as I don't want it to be subject to dust or any other contaminant. I was able to get the limited edition figure for $139 less a 10% preferred customer discount from Michigan Toy Soldier. The horse was only $64.99 less 10%. I seldom buy figures at the time of their release but this one is so special I didn't think supplies would last long and with all of the wonderful accessories, I wanted one mint in the box, not a secondary market offering with half the accessories gone missing.

Lady Jane Grey: A Royal Tragedy

Some collectors become particularly passionate about a specific historical personality. Such is the case with collector Sonja Marie and Lady Jane Grey. Sonja's interest in this tragic figure from English history (see her execution painted by Paul Delaroche at left) began as a young girl:

" I collect everything on Jane that I can get my hands on, and barring that at least an image of something I don't own. I became interested in Jane when I was 13 (almost 21 years ago). I was already interested in the Tudors and British History and I came across a children's book about her in my Junior High library and her story just touched my heart. At the time there really wasn't much for me to find on her other than books through the library system. It wasn't til I found Ebay in 1999 that I really started to collect. I started my website 2 1/2 years later to share my collection and the other images I've found of her.

I went to England for the first time in Sept 2001, Sept 3rd to be exact. I was in Derby for most of the trip, including Sept 11th. While I was in Derby I contacted the Evelt store that was in Windsor at the time and ordered their Jane doll that they shipped to me while I was still there.

The last 3 days of my trip I was in London, and I found this Brenda Price doll at the Tower of London. It wasn't cheap, but I had to have it! I saw another Brenda Price Jane doll with differences the next day at Hampton Court Palace, but couldn't afford to buy it. Getting them home posed a bit of a challenge as they wouldn't allow anyone to carry anything but meds and stuff on the plane as it was just a week after 9/11 that I flew home. So I had to use all my sweaters and shirts and such to wrap them safely and put them in my luggage and thankfully they got home safely, though the base on the Evelt doll came off.

The rest of the dolls I own I've found on Ebay, with the exception of my Madame Alexander doll which I ordered through a Doll site."

Sonja's website includes this image of a particuarly elegant one-of-a-kind doll of Lady Jane Grey by artist Melissa Wyatt. She is made of fimo and has glass eyes. She's approx. 15" tall.

Since Lady Jane ruled for only nine days, contemporary portraits of this 16-year-old queen were thought to be nonexistent until a London art dealer researched a portrait found in a south London house with the title "Lady Jayne" faintly painted in the top left corner.

"The picture, on which the words "Lady Jayne" are faintly painted in the top left corner, has been in the family of the anonymous owner since it was acquired by his great-grandfather, a collector of 16th-century antiques, a century ago.

Christopher Foley, a prominent London art dealer , said that analysis of the pigment and the oak panel on which the portrait is painted confirmed it as a 16th-century work and costume experts at the Victoria & Albert Museum had dated the figure's striking red dress to between 1550 and 1555.

Additionally, painting analysis at University College, London, confirmed that the inscription had been painted at the same time as the portrait and research at the College of Arms came up with only four possible "Lady Jaynes" of the period. Allowing for birth dates and marital status, Mr Foley believes that Lady Jane Grey is the best candidate.

Web sources about Lady Jane Grey:

http://www.ladyjanegrey.org/

Teddy Bear Maker Turns to Biblical Character Dolls

I see a manufacturer of Teddy Bears has opened a new division that is producing multimedia Biblical character dolls that include over 60 seconds of recorded Bible verses. Initially introducing a talking Jesus doll, the company, one2believe, now includes Peter, Paul, David, Moses and Mary.

The 12" dolls have 18 points of articulation including hands that can grasp and hold. Their cloth outfits are hand sewn and some come with additional accessories like David's slingshot. The dolls sell for $19.95 each with free shipping for orders over $100.

The company's vision:

"Messengers of Faith dolls are designed to help parents and educators teach children important Bible stories. These dolls are a 3D teaching resource, featuring recorded Scriptures at the push of a button.
By introducing Bible characters and their stories to children" one character at a time," children can begin to grasp an overall view of Scripture.

Messengers of Faith dolls can be used to help children:
a. Learn Bible stories.
b. Understand Biblical survey and the chronological history of the Bible.
c. Learn the cultural background surrounding the Bible characters and their stories.

The costuming of each doll has been researched to reflect fashions typical of the time period in which the Bible character lived.
Discussing the costume on each doll will add to children's understanding of Biblical culture and history.
Provided with each doll is an easy to read story detailing the life and accomplishments of that character, along with the "script" of the featured recorded Scripture."

"300" sparks new figure releases.

I received an alert from Ebay today about this fantastic OOAK doll of Gerard Butler as King Leonidas as he appeared in the newly released film "300". This California doll artist, using the name Viktoryia, has produced a truly remarkable repaint of an original long-haired Ken doll. She states in her auction description:

"All my dolls are limited to one edition WORLDWIDE.The costume is very time consuming and detailed, as the pictures show. The doll got the full facial repaint and body shades.

You can see the picture of the original Ken. He's got full repaint, his hair was died black, braided, then he's got a haircut (Greek style). I applied black hair to create a beard and mustache. He has a braid on the back, the mouth was resculpted. He also has a braided hair band around his head. I sculpted and painted his breasts then shaded his body.

There were used combinations of materials to create the Greek warrior-king such as genuine leather, foam, aluminum, wood, plastic, stone, hair, fabric. His boots (leather), his hand bands (leather+aluminum), pants (leather), scabbard (leather) are hand sewed.

King Leonidas comes with a spear (plastic+aliminum), a shield (composition), a helmet which I carved using a combination of materials (foam, aliminum and plastic), a sword with a scabbard. The sword was cut to look as a miniature replica of the sword from the movie."

As a one-of-a-kind, however, he is bringing a hefty price. As of today the bid is $399 plus shipping. The doll artist's Ebay ID is divine-dolls-creation.

I see Ignite Figures is also preparing to release two Spartan figures, Leonidas and a Spartan Hoplite. Ignite Figures retail for $79.99. I see they also have Roman Murmillo and Retiarius gladiators on their prerelease list as well.

Little Thinkers bring great minds to plush dolls

I received an ebay alert about some Elizabeth 1 dolls offered on Ebay and noticed a listing for a really cute and nicely detailed plush doll of Elizabeth termed a "Little Thinker". I did a little more research and found that this whimsical line of dolls, targeted towards college students, is being produced by a company called the Possibility Center:

"Little Thinker Dolls from the Possibility Centre are plush dolls of famous intellectuals such as Buddha, Marx, Dickinson, Nietzsche, Ghandi, and Mozart. The antidote to Barbie and Bratz this Christmas.

Little Thinkers stand six to eight inches tall and although the likeness is limited to something of a simple caricature, (Mozart could easily be mistaken for Count Dracula and Nietzsche bears an uncanny resemblance to Groucho Marx), they'll make an interesting accompaniment when partnered with corresponding prints or written works and hopefully inspire children with more than an interest in hair and make-up or Action-Man's gun."

The going rate at present seems to be about $16.

Liberty of London produced exquisitely detailed dolls

I was up on Ebay this morning and came across an outstanding example of the Liberty of London dolls produced from the 1930s to the 1960s. These hand-crafted cloth dolls, along with accessories, depict the history of Great Britain from the caveman through Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.

"The dolls consist of history-making men and women, including royalty, political reformers, military notables, innovators in the arts, and contributors to natural and physical sciences. These hand-painted soft sculptured dolls are costumed in authentic period clothing.

The dolls were hand-sewn by two sisters, Ada and Kathleen Peat, from their Brighton, England home for the Liberty of London department store." I was surprised to see in my internet search that Liberty of London is still in business and serves upscale clients with a high fashion line of clothing and accessories.

This particular doll of Queen Elizabeth was apparently purchased in England and kept nearly pristine over the years by a loving collector. Even the deep vermilion of her dress has not lost its luxurious color over the years. I bid on her but she apparently has a hefty reserve.

The only Liberty of London dolls I presently have in my collection are King George and Queen Margaret both a bit faded I'm afraid.

Harmony Kingdom Pot Bellies Combine History and Whimsy

I first encountered Harmony Kingdom's Pot Belly Historicals on a visit to Victoria, British Columbia in 2004. I loved the combination of history with 3D political characture of these small English figurines.

"Harmony Kingdom's U.K. headquarters, Wimberley Mills, is privileged to be located in one of the most beautiful rural areas in England, the South Cotswolds. Designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Cotswolds is famous for its honey-coloured stone cottages, grand manor houses and impressive churches.

The name Cotswolds' refers to rolling hills and broad river valleys. These wooded hills and valleys are especially suitable for grazing, particularly for the native Cotswold sheep, which in medieval times were responsible for the growth of the wool trade. For centuries Cotswold wool was used in more than half of England's cloth and was exported to the continent, bringing great wealth to the wool merchants who donated large sums to the local churches and built themselves magnificent houses.

The river valleys form the setting for the towns and villages, which nestle snugly amongst the hills. The market town of Stroud is the central point where the five valleys meet. Cirencester, the capital of the Cotswolds, was known during Roman times as Corinium Dubonnorum and was the second largest city in Roman Britain."- Harmony Kingdom website

I can attest to the beauty of the Cotswold area, having visited there this past Spring.

Harmony Kingdom was founded by Martin Perry:

"Martin is the founder and owner of Antiquark Ltd., the company responsible for manufacturing English-made Harmony Kingdom pieces. He is also the artistic director of Martin Perry Studios, a consortium of English carvers who sculpt the figurines. He and his wife Corinna live in the Cotswolds region of England near Wimberley Mills, which houses Antiquark Ltd., Martin Perry Studios, and Harmony International Ltd.

Martin Perry left school at the age of 14 and began his professional career in London as a gofer for his uncle, a film producer. At the age of 22, feeling disenchanted with the film industry, Martin moved to Snowdonia, a mountain region of North Wales. Here he adopted a puppy, the runt of a litter, which seemed to have a natural calling for sheep herding. Since Martin didn't have any idea what he wanted to do with his life, he followed the dog's lead. Martin found a romantic-looking mountain and offered his services as shepherd to the local farmer. Because Martin had no experience he offered to work for free, a proposition the farmer couldn't refuse.

For the next five years Martin and his dog tended sheep in the Welsh mountains, living a decidedly rustic life. Martin had human contact only once a week but kept occupied by walking an average of 20 miles a day. After meeting his future wife Corinna, he knew they could not continue to live such a secluded life, and they moved to the lowlands near Chalford, England, where Martin continued shepherding for a large farm. Martin did not like the rigidity and demands of business farming, yet he stayed with it for four years until he injured his back shearing sheep which ended his shepherding career forever.

While she was growing up, Corinna listened to her mother speak French, German, Italian, and Spanish around the house. Corinna, too, became quite a linguist and eventually a teacher of language. Her father was an illustrator of children's books, an animal lover, and an early conservationist, and her brother is a sculptor. At university Corinna studied art history and travelled extensively, spending a year in India. On a visit to her father in Wales, Corinna met Martin. During Martin's shepherding years near Chalford, Corinna taught English as a second language to corporate and military personnel. After their daughter and son were born, Corinna began working with the children of the village.

It was Corinna who introduced Martin to the owner of History Craft, a company that manufactured replicas for art museums around the world. No longer shepherding, Martin got a job in History Craft's packing department, sending out everything from large marble statues to tiny Roman coins. Sometimes items were needed that were not yet made so Martin would make the replicas himself. Martin says, I can still remember the satisfaction from making that first thing. I was so pleased with it. I've still got it - it was a rabbit, a replica of Japanese netsuke [the traditional, intricately carved ivory miniatures from Japan used primarily as toggles for kimonos].

For the next decade, Martin created replicas of museum artworks, including 18th and 19th century netsukes. He developed a special process that gave marble resin an antique, ivory look (later to be further refined and used in Harmony Kingdom box figurines). As he discovered and honed his artistic skills, he began to grow tired of copying other works. Eventually he left History Craft and began sculpting a Westerner's idea of a netsuke.

In 1989 Martin decided to form his own business, Antiquark Ltd., and developed the current finishing process. He cast his new pieces from netsuke and oriental ivory moulds, as well as crafting scrimshaw reproductions." - Harmony Kingdom website

Our local Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon has a small collection of netsuke pieces and I would venture to say Harmony Kingdom's pieces are as beautiful and intricate as they are.

Although my current collection is modest it presently embraces Henry VIII and his six wives, Queen Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare, Marie Antoinette, the Queen of Sheba, and Queen Victoria. Over the holidays, I found Mozart, George Washington, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan at a collectibles shop that was closing and managed to get them for half price ($6 each). I normally wouldn't bother with modern personages but at the price I couldn't pass them up.