Statuen Unter Alles
Hummel figurines, those treacly, rosy-cheeked German tykes clad in lederhosen, have been manufactured in the same factory in Rödental, Bavaria, since 1935. The initial design came from a Franciscan nun, one Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, and her order still is responsible for Qualitätskontrolle. After World War II, their popularity soared when American soldiers sent them home as gifts. Retail prices for authentic MI Hummel figurines start at just over $100 for simple ones; rare pieces are vastly higher in price. My memory of the porcelain statuettes is a dark and brooding one.