M. I. Hummel Figurines - Hummel Club Collectibles by Goebel
The Adored German Porcelain Figurine with the Bee.
M.I. Hummel Figurines and Hummel Club Collectibles by Goebel. The Adored German Porcelain Figurine with the Bee!
For Each Hummel Figurine the process begins when a Goebel master sculptor studies a carefully selected drawing or painting by Sister Hummel. Because the drawing has only two dimensions, the sculptor must be able to imagine unseen details and execute them in clay in a style consistent with the Sister's vision. The sculpting may take many weeks, and during that time, a new and original work of art takes shape. The finished model is presented to the Artistic Board at the Convent of Siessen.
The sculptor and master mold maker determine where the figurine should be cut so the mold making process can begin. A figurine may be cut into as many as 40 pieces for ease of production. The pieces of the figurine are embedded in clay. Plaster of paris is poured over them to make the master mold. A series of positive and negative plaster molds is made, leading to the creation of a durable acrylic resin working model. From the working model, a plaster of paris working mold is made. It can be used only for a limited time before eroding. New working molds are created from the working model as needed.
Liquid ceramic, known as "slip," composed of kaolin, feldspar, clay, quartz and water, is poured into the plaster working molds. The plaster absorbs moisture from the slip. As the slip thickens, it creates a hollow ceramic shell of the figurine. The excess slip is poured out, and the moist shell is removed for assembly into a completed figurine. The pieces are joined using slip as a sort of glue, then smoothed to remove all seams. The assembled figurines dry for about one week.
Each figurine is fired at intense temperatures at least three times during the production process. The kilns are heated and cooled gradually -- sudden temperature changes can damage the figurine. The first firing at 2100°F transforms the moist figurine into its white bisque state. The figurines shrink in size and emerge wih a powdery white finish. Then the piece is hand-dipped and sprayed with a tinted liquid glaze. The second firing is at 1870°F. The figurine emerges glossy white, as the glaze has been melted into a thin, transparent skin of glass. After painting, the figurine will be fired again at 1407°F to permanently bond the color and create a soft matte finish. Figurines may undergo decor firings up to three times, depending on the colors used.
The paints used on each M.I.Hummel collectible are selected from several hundred hues specially developed to recreate the tones of Sister Hummel's artwork. The Master Painter prepares a decorated sample, which must be approved by the Convent of Siessen, to guide the highly-trained artists who paint the actual figurines. Since the figurines are painted by hand, each is unique. Paints are metallic oxide powders mixed as needed with balsam oil and turpentine. Brushes are made of natural hair.
The figurine creation process takes many weeks and may involve over 700 hand operations with many quality checkpoints. Every new M.I.Hummel figurine is created using this painstaking process, in accordance with the age-old Goebel tradition of quality handcraftsmanship.
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About M. I. Hummel Figurines - Hummel Club Collectibles by Goebel.
M.I. Hummel products are the result of a successful partnership between W.Goebel Porzellanfabrik and a talented German artist, Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel. Her images of youthful innocence have been transformed by the Master Artists of Goebel into original M.I. Hummel works of art.
Berta Hummel was born in Bavaria in 1909 with a wonderful gift -- an instinct for observing her world and translating her observations into drawings, especially of children. In 1927, Berta enrolled in Munich's famed Academy of Applied Arts. There her talent matured and survived rigid training with its spontaneity intact.
Religion had always been important to Berta. She befriended two Franciscan Sisters from a teaching order that emphasized the arts. Berta decided to enter the Convent of Siessen upon graduation in 1931, and three years later, took the name Maria Innocentia.
The young Sister found herself in a setting that encouraged her talents. Soon, small German publishers began printing some of her artwork in the form of postcards. These charming cards came to the attention of Franz Goebel, the head of a porcelain company bearing his name. He was in search of a subject for a new line of figurines. And here it was!
Franz Goebel proposed to Sister Hummel the idea of transforming her drawings into figurines. An agreement was reached with the Convent granting Goebel the sole right to create three-dimensional works of art based on Sister Hummel's drawings.The artist worked personally with Goebel Master Sculptors and Painters to create the new products. The first figurines were introduced in 1935 and were immediately successful.
Tragically, Sister Hummel died in 1946 at only 37 years of age. But her artistic legacy was carried on by Goebel. Even today, Goebel artists discuss each new M.I. Hummel work of art with an Artistic Board at the Convent of Siessen. Standards of craftsmanship established more than six decades ago have been strictly preserved. And M.I.Hummel figurines continue to charm the world.
M. I. Hummel Figurines - Hummel Club Collectibles by Goebel. The adored German porcelain figurine with the bee.
