Vintage German Wendt Kuhn Red Riding Hood Bank & Pied Piper Figurine 4.5"

Description

Pair of mid to late 20th century hand painted German wooden figurines by Wendt and Kuhn. One represents the Pied Piper of Hammelin playing a horn with a pair of rats at his feet. The other is a coin bank tableau showing Little Red Riding Hood standing with her basket and a wolf in front of her Grandmother's cottage. Key included.

"Wendt & Kühn was founded in 1915 by Grete Wendt (1887-1979) and Margarete Kühn. They are a manufacturer of painted wooden figures and music boxes in the Ore Mountain tradition that have become collectible. All their products are produced by hand and only made in the German federal state of Saxony. Their timeless logo was designed by Professor Margarete Junge (1874 -1966) under whom the founders of the company and later also Olly Wendt, née Sommer, studied at the Royal Saxon Academy of Applied Art in Dresden. In 1949 Wendt & Kühn was awarded the “Gütezeichen für das Kunsthandwerk und Kunstgewerbe” (Quality Mark for Arts and Crafts) by the Zonenausschuss (Zone Committee) and from then onwards a lily and a hammer were incorporated into the logo, beneath the firm’s initials. On 28 April 1972, Wendt & Kühn was compulsorily nationalized. Yet, the high quality of the work and fortunately even the initials “W” and “K” were retained – though “W–K” now stood for “VEB Werk-Kunst Grünhainichen”. With nationalization and their incorporation into state holding companies, many firms experienced a certain loss of identity during the 1970s. To counteract this and also to protect the rights of the producers, forward-thinking enterprises founded trademark associations. VEB Werk-Kunst joined the GDR’s Warenzeichenverband für Kunsthandwerk und Kunstgewerbe e.V. Under the trademark “expertic®”, the association marketed products from throughout the Erzgebirge to the rest of the world and over many years bestowed internationally recognized awards for craftsmanship. Numerous designs by Grete and Olly Wendt were among the award-winning products. On 1 July 1990, the company was privatized again and VEB Werk-Kunst became Wendt & Kühn once more. Today the firm is in the hands of the Wendt family." (Source: Wendt & Kuhn / Wikipedia)

Condition

Good Overall - Gentle wear to paint

Dimensions

Bank - 4" x 3.25" x 4.375" (WIdth x Depth x Height)