Bulletin Number 109 - Blair Museum of Lithophanes

SPRING 2016
THE BLAIR MUSEUM OF LITHOPHANES
BULLETIN NUMBER 109
2 0 1 6 S h ow - E at , D r i n k & B e M e r r y !
“Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die” is a
conflation of two biblical sayings, Ecclesiastes 8:15,
“Then I commended mirth because a man hath no
better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink
and to be merry”; and in Isaiah 22:13, “Let us eat
and drink; for to morrow we shall die.” There are a
number of humorous variants. Tis sage advice
perhaps, but it’s also a cautionary tale. Certainly,
it’s a common theme throughout art history; folks
making merry, enjoying sustenance and life!
2016 Calendar

April 16 Evening of
Dancing and
Celebration

April 30/May 1
Opening Weekend

June 24-26 Crosby
Festival of the Arts

September 17
Arts in the Garden
Peter Navarre Day

December 2-3
Heralding the
Holidays
The Blair Museum
Kelly Sheehan, Director
Advisory Board
Patricia Scharf, President
During the 19th century, industrialization
transformed the world’s economy- and life could be
richer or poorer depending on one’s view. The
promise of work in factory settings increased
populations within most cities. While much of the
arduous work took place under difficult conditions,
and compensation wages were low; a rich subject
matter had emerged for artists who chose to create
poignant commentary about lives they witnessed.
The raw and gritty could be portrayed; but also the
serene or celebratory.
“Münchner Madchen”
Mother & Daughter at Table
Meissen #173, Blair acc. #147
The term “bodega” in Spanish can mean “pantry”,
“tavern” or “wine cellar”. A derivative term “bodegon”
is a typical reference to a genre scene or still life
painting. Vanitas were reminders of the vain
emptiness of the world and its pleasures.
Dennis Seffernick, Vice
President
Claire Kirsner, Secretary
Dennis Garvin, Treasurer
Lisa Ward, Commissioner of
Parks, Recreations and
Forestry - City of Toledo
Peggy Grant
Jim Larrow
Jocelyn Marinescu
Bill Mies
Sandra Wiseley
Stacey Scharf
(continued on page 2)
A 5 0 t h An niver sa r y Tou r
The special tour honoring the 50th anniversary of Mr. Laurel Blair's founding of the Blair
Museum of Lithophanes was co-hosted by the Toledo-Delmenhorst Sister-City Committee and the
Blair Museum. The theme of the event "From Jingdezhen, China to Paris, France & Meissen,
Saxony" mirrored the complexity of the flow of information about Chinese porcelain technology to
European ceramic researchers and workshops in early 18th century Europe. Chinese ceramics were
then referred to as "White Gold" because they were so expensive to purchase and ship. Augustus
the Strong of Saxony (1694-1733) who avidly collected porcelain was pleased when the efforts of
researchers he supported, namely chemist and kiln-expert Ehrenfried von Tschirnhaus (1651-1708)
and researcher Johann Friedrich Böttger (1682-1719), resulted in the manufacture of the first
ceramics in 1709 in the city of Meissen, present-day Germany.
(continued on page 6)
THE BLAIR MUSEUM OF LITHOPHANES
2 0 1 6 S h ow
(continued from page 1)
In the 17th century, the Spanish artist Valazquez painted bodegons –scenes that included food and people at tables. Viewers took in
the beauty, appreciated the artist’s skill and pondered the message.
The Dutch artist Jan Steen created magnificent works around a similar theme of food, drink and merriment. Despite the apparent
frivolity of these genre scenes full of cheerful people, inclusions such as cut flowers, soap bubbles or broken egg shells warn about the
transience of sensual earthly pleasures and pursuits.
The symbolism of food and drink has its roots in Classical Literature. Fruits, nuts, herbs and grain are discussed in treatises on farming
and natural history. Feast and festivity appear widely in mythology as attributes of gods and goddesses. Bacchus adorned with grapes
and Ceres draped in grain; even Cupid can be shown with bunches of grapes because music allows for “keeping spirits happy- as does
wine.”
Many of the lithophanes from The Blair collection depict in a luminous, magical and celebratory way, people sharing in the banquet of
life- so we have brought these out of storage and place them front and center for your enjoyment and enlightenment! We hope you
will visit The Blair Museum of Lithophanes this season for either the first or fiftieth time to join in the celebration of this season’s exhibit, “Eat, Drink and be Merry”!
“Weinschmaker” or Wine Tasters, 19th C German PPM 124, Blair acc. #966
“Eat, Drink & Be Merry!”
April 30 , 2016 to October 30, 2016
A Special Exhibition with a focus on fun, food and merriment.
Select pieces from the Blair Museum’s collection
PAGE 2
Editor’s Correction for Bulletin 108, page 8.
Baron de Bourgoings’s patent for lithophanes was in 1827, not 1727.
E at , Dr i n k & B e M e r r y !
Porcelain Lamp, German 20th C, Von Schierholz Co.,
single cast lamp shade with four scenes reverse
enameled, Blair acc. #369
SPRING 2016
Porcelain Lamp with figurines, German, 20th C, Von Schierholz
Co., solid case porcelain with eight oval lithophanes,
Blair acc. #1833
PAGE 3
THE BLAIR MUSEUM OF LITHOPHANES
S t e i n s & Ve s s e l s
While “Eat, Drink & Be Merry” will feature many traditional lithophanes
and lamps, the show will allow the Blair Museum to feature a number of
drinking vessels, especially its collection of steins. These steins have
lithophanes inserted in the bottom of the vessel.
The beer stein had its origin in the mid-1500’s along the Rhine River in
Germany when small towns began producing functional drinking vessels and
decorating, enameling, and glazing them; each town adding their own flair
or nuance. The character stein did not really come into its own until the
1850’s when a more relaxed way of living combined with a German artist
renaissance added emphasis on beautiful, unique and personalized beer
drinking vessels and gave impetus to the design, manufacturer and
widespread use of these ingenious vessels.
While many of the steins in the Blair Museum collection are unique, one of
the most unique is the Münchner Kindl stein. Münchner Kindl means
Munich Child in the Bavarian dialect of German. The symbol of the Munich
child has been on the coat of arms of Munich since the 13th century. The
figure portrayed was originally a monk (or friar) holding a book, but by the
16th century it evolved into the figure of a child wearing a pointed hood,
often shown holding a beer mug and a radish. Radishes were a popular
snack to munch on while consuming beer.
It has been theorized that the name for the city of Munich (München) came
from the term “Kloster von Monchen” or “Cloister for Monks” due to the
Imperial Abbey of Tegernsee - a Benedictine monastery near which Munich
was originally built. The gender of the figure has also changed over the years
from clearly male to gender-neutral to a girl. Some suggest that it is possible
that Münchner Kindl was the inspiration for the munchkins of L. Frank
Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”.
Schierholz Character Stein of
“Münchner Kindl”, Munich Child
Blair acc. #321
Sometime after their introduction, drinking vessels, both steins and mugs
began to have lithophanes inserted in the bottom of the vessel. The lithophane usually mirrored some aspect of the stein
itself or the location where the stein was made or sold. The Münchner Kindl stein has a lithophane showing the famous
Bavarian statue on the Theresien Meadow in Munich.
After consuming the beverage,
one would see this image in the
bottom of the stein The iconic and immense statue
of Therese next to a Bavarian
lion. The monument which is
85 ft. tall in person still delights the viewers of smaller
lithophane versions of it!
PAGE 4
Puzzle Jugs
Supplementing the collection of coffee/tea cups, mugs and steins, the Blair also
has a collection of puzzle jugs, aka trick vessels or in German, wunder tasse. What
are puzzle jugs?
A puzzle jug is a tavern game that was popular during the Medieval period, then
again during 18th and 19th centuries. It is a drinking puzzle shaped like a jug. The
challenge is to drink from the jug without spilling anything. This is made more
difficult by the perforations that encircle the neck of the jug.
A source of fun, each jug may be inscribed with a verse. At first, drinking without
spilling appears impossible, but the trick to the puzzle jug is a hidden tube that
runs within the jug. One end is shaped into a spout. The other end runs around
the rim of the jug and then follows the handle down to the base of the jug. This
tube allows one to drink without spilling by sucking on the spout end. Of course,
a puzzle jug may be simple and have a single spout or complicated with as many as
six spouts from which to choose.
To make it even more challenging, before sucking on the spout, one must first
close off additional holes around the tube with one’s fingers. Some puzzle jugs
also have a hidden hole along the tube. This hole is usually hidden beneath the
handle.
Puzzle jugs are descendants of other medieval drinking games including the
fuddling cup and the pot crown. A fuddling cup is a puzzle made of three or more cups joined together by tubes with holes.
A pot crown is shaped as it is called. It has a hollow ring base that holds four cups. It also has tubes that connect together on
top like an English crown.
The puzzle jug can be traced back to 13th century France. There is also evidence that it was manufactured, during that same
period, in Germany, Holland, and other European countries. An early example of this ceramic novelty, the Exeter Puzzle
Jug, is displayed in the Royal Albert Museum, located in Exeter, Devon. The Exeter Puzzle Jug was made around 1300 in
Saintonge, France. It is considered a notable example of medieval pottery.
Staggering home in clothing soaked in beer has lost some appeal down through time. This might explain why puzzle mugs
have gone out of style (at least in the bars). They linger in a crude modern counterpart, the dribble glass, found in novelty
shops. A dribble glass is only a glass drilled with a dribbling hole, which is a far cry from the fancy pottery cups designed to
send tavern patrons into stitches. (From wisegeek.com)
“Geisha” lithophane inside of Tea Cup
Japanese Tea Cup, 20th C, circa 1930-1970, Blair acc. #1757
THE BLAIR MUSEUM OF LITHOPHANES
SPRING 2016
(continued from page 1)
As Mr. Blair had become fascinated with the translucent quality of illuminated porcelain plaques or lithophanes the first
time he encountered one in 1964 and thus began his career as a collector, so did a diverse group of visitors to the Blair Museum. A
large group of middle-school students made up the first tour of the day, and they astutely discerned that the glowing lamps and
screens on display were made from a ceramic material! Delmenhorst Sister-City Committee members particularly appreciated the
story-telling aspect of the lithophanes on display, plus the finesse with which 19th century lithophane makers were able to paint
fired-lithophanes. Members from the German Club of the University of Toledo were able to identify such well-known figures as
Goethe and Martin Luther amongst the collection and pose numerous questions about other lithophanes. Visitors from the Confucian Institute of UT were amazed to discover this art form, which represents a flow of culture and information between Asia and
Europe. The Blair Museum's Chinese Pagoda with five Alpine Hunting scenes (acc # 297) was a mascot of this event.
Visitors left with a new appreciation for the craze for ceramics and other Chinese luxury goods that Europeans of the late
17th and early 18th century developed, an enthusiasm which resulted in the coining of the French word "Chinoisierie," which means
"things Chinese." Another definition of Chinoiserie is "the European conception of things Chinese." We can consider the Blair's
Chinese Pagoda an amalgamation of Chinese and European taste. Our visitors recorded their impressions of the day with some of
the following observations.
At the Blair Museum of Lithophanes, we found a new treasure here in Toledo. Our Docents
were well informed and able to explain to us so much about the lithophane exhibit. Thanks to
Mr. Blair this lithophane collection is the biggest in the world. We were astounded to learn
about how many different types of lithophanes, mostly from Germany -- but also from many
other countries, are held in the collection. How carefully the artists would have had to work,
especially when they applied color to the fired, unglazed porcelain plate or lampshade surfaces! I found particularly interesting a globe-shaped lithophane, which after having been fired
in the kiln, was painted by the artist on the interior surface. When illuminated from behind
the picture glowed. All the pictures created in biscuit porcelain in this collection present detailed and complicated scenes. Finally, since we were completely impressed by our tour and
this art form, also called “illuminated stone,” we purchased some lithophanes in the Museum
shop.
The Blair Museum of Lithophanes is so easy to find in the Toledo Botanic Gardens and is just
located by the Elmer Street entrance. The lithophane exhibition at the Blair Museum is a highly recommendable point of interest!
Rogene Kohler, President, Toledo-Delmenhorst Sister-City Committee
“Blair Museum is truly a must see
place in Toledo for its hundreds of
lithophane collections.
It is an amazing form of artwork that
bridges China with the world. It is
also very interesting to see how different culture inspires each other.
Hard to imagine how much time and
effort needs to be put in one piece to
make it perfect.
When you light up a lithophane, you
get to explore a whole new world. It
was a wonderful experience.“
Dr. Yu Xinren
Confucius Institute
PAGE 6
My favorite work in the Blair Museum of Lithophanes is Cat and
Monkeys. With such a title it is naturally a German (humor) work. It
depicts a cat getting a haircut, but it is comic because the hairdressers
are all monkeys! Four monkeys help the cat to become beautiful while
the cat admires itself in a mirror and appears totally impressed. At first I
found this work to be so simple. I thought that it was created only for
entertainment. Perhaps it was made for children. But I was wrong!
The Blair Docent told me that the work (likely) expressed criticism of
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. It is not a work for children! The artist
was attempting to attack this theory. One can clearly see this because
“Chat et le Singe”
(only) the monkeys all appear dumb. They represent the people like
French, 19th c. AdT
Darwin, who want to spread the idea of evolution. They are making
309. acc. #870
everything beautiful in order to fool people. The cat is a symbol of the
people who do not argue against Darwin. They are so concentrated upon themselves that they
do not fight against Darwinism. The work is in black and white and is only as big as a letter. I
am so happy that I was able to see this work in the Blair Museum of Lithophanes.
Alex DiBell is an Honors Student at UT Majoring in German
S u ppor t i n g T h e B l a i r i n 20 1 5
Benefactor ($1,000+)
Georgia (GeeGee) Blair, Stephen & Martha Goode
Supporting ($500-$999)
Dennis Seffernick, Chuck Williams, UBS Financial
Lithophane ($250-$499)
Robin Blair, Sandra Wiseley, Jeanne Asplundh
Contributing ($125-$249)
Kelly & Thomas Sheehan, Larry & Mary Jane Ocker (in honor of Leslie Ocker), Rebecca Bodeman
Family ($50-$124)
Georgia Huebner, Tom & Nancy Durnford, Cynthia & Stuart Katz, M/M AH Poll, Holly Huebner
(in memory of Bob & Posy Huebner), Cynthia Motzenbecker, Roger & Mary Ann Pietras, Jocelyn &
Ioan Marinescu, Daniel Finkel & Paul Valdez, Kay Saxby, Harold & Eileen Hoffman, , Alan & Ann
Goodridge, Chuck & Dawn McCaghy, Pat McWilliam, Dorothy Price, Heather & Kip Lady, Judy
Mock, Dave & Kathy Kananen, Patricia Scharf, Richard & Diane Hess, Diane Rusk, Stephen Scharf,
Jules Marcu and Susan Pisegna, Michele Oldman, Margy & Scott Trumbull
Individual ($35-$49)
Charles Fishburn, Borje Saxberg, Pollie Bland, Susan Conda
Student/Senior/Donor (to $34)
Tom & Nancy Verner, Hank Williams, Carole Kiroff, Gene Hagedorn, Stanley S. Fieber, Barb
Schlueter, Betsy Ford, Phyllis & Daryl Blanchard, Henry A. Doder, Dr. George Baibak, Walter
Palicki, Kay Silk, Cynthia Champer
We make every attempt to make sure donations and contribution information is correct. If there is an
error tell us as soon as possible. We regret any mistakes and offer our apologies in advance
“Hochlander Brautpaar”,
Highlander Bride and Groom,
Meissen 185, Blair acc. #1006
“Blindekuh Spielend”, Blind Man’s Bluff,
German 19th C PPM 236
Thank You
Lifetime Members
Barr & Jeanne Asplundh
Mr/Mrs. Carleton Averill
Robert Bell
Curt Benzle
Hannah Blackwell
JoAnne Blair
Georgia (GeeGee) Blair
Robin Blair
Richard Boers
Robert Britsch
Barbara Brown
Ellie & Jim Brunner
David Burder
Sharon Clark
John & Eve Coleman
Andrew Cook
Robert S. Dieken
Jill Disher
Carol Ann Du Brul
Jack Earl
Kate T. Foster
May Louise Glen
Lloyd J & Nannette J Graham
Peggy Grant
Marie Harr
Ann Huebner
Brad Huebner
Posy Huebner
Dave & Kathy Kananen
Mary Karazim
Marilyn Wilson Kehl
Brian & Mary Kennedy
George & Susan Kertz
Claire & Allan Kirsner
Heide & Jim Klein
Elaine & Tom Kunz
Chuck & Dawn McCaghy
Herbert & Carolyn Metzger
Rosalind Miller
Jim Moore & Tim Valko
Larry & Mary Jane Ocker
Dorothy A. Oechsler
Michele Oldman
Susan Poll
Dorothy Price
Barbara & James Rankin
Patricia Scharf
Stacey Scharf
Kelly & Tom Sheehan
Dr. Richard Spriggs
Susanne Swisher & Family
Thomas & Jane Switzer
James & Mary Tita
Margy & Scott Trumbull
William Walker Jr & Margaret
Carney
Chuck Williams
PAGE 7
Visiting the Blair Museum
BULLETIN NUMBER 109
Location: The Blair Museum is located in the Toledo Botanical Gardens. The Gardens are on Elmer Drive in West Toledo. Visit www.toledogarden.org for details of
events at the Garden.
Hours: 1-4 Saturdays and Sunday, May through October (free admission).
Special tours: Outside of regular hours, please contact the museum for dates and
times (a nominal fee is charged).
5403 Elmer Drive
Toledo, Ohio 43615
Phone: 419-245-1356
E-mail: [email protected]
Gift Shop: a variety of lithophane and related gift items are sold at the museum. Contact us by phone or email if you wish to purchase items outsides of regular hours.
Friends of the Blair Museum Board
Docents and Volunteers
Patricia Scharf
Mary Karazim
Barbara Brown
Dennis Garvin
Stacey Scharf
Dennis Seffernick
V i s i t o u r G i f t S ho p
Directions: From Interstate 475, Exit 13. East on Central Avenue (US 20). South on
Reynolds Road (US 20). Right on Elmer Drive. Left into the Botanical Garden. The
Blair Museum is on the right.
Barbara Brown, Susan Carson, Nancy Durnford,
Pam Fletcher, Mary Ann Hagy, Kurt Hanushek,
Deanna Harwell Baksh, Denny Kanfield,
Carol Kanfield, Mary Karazim, George Kertz,
Claire Kirsner, Jim Larrow, Sharon Larrow,
Shere Lichtenwald, Pat Ligibel, Jocelyn Marinescu,
Merilee McSweeny, Dave McMurray,
John Napieralski, Valerie Napieralski, Carol Norton,
Marti Osnowitz, Diane Rusk, Patricia Scharf,
Stacey Scharf, Dennis Seffernick, Elizabeth Shawaker,
Brendan Sheehan, Robert Shreves, Theresa Shultz,
Mary Tita, Kateri Walsh, Chuck Williams,
Janet Williams, Sandra Wiseley, Diane Zitzelberger
The Blair Museum is always in
need of new docents. If you can
help in this important role, please
contact Director Kelly Sheehan
[email protected]