pucciManuli - A Remarkable Collection

Handcrafted in Germany by Christian Werner, one of only eight master craftsmen in Reifendrehen – or ring-turning – these beautiful little pull-along animals add a simple charm to any desk or bookshelf.  Display just one or collect all your favorites.

These pull-along animals demonstrate the unique harmony that exists between the three-dimensional wooden body of the ring-turned animal and the flat wood base it’s attached to.  Each unique creature is crafted from what begins as a slice of a fir tree, just as they were over 200 years earlier.  Using a wood lathe, they hone very specific indentations into the ring for each specific animal.  Once the indentations are complete, each ring is sliced to create 20-30 individual animals.  Each individual animal is then meticulously hand-carved using knives the old-fashioned way, hand-painted, finished and embellished - complete with horns, tails, and ears. The wheels are made of terracotta in such a way as to emphasize the animals in motion when rolled along.  The animals are finally attached to their wood bases using a combination of glue and nails.

Known as the Bohemian Forests up until the 16th Century, the Erzgebirge region, or “Ore Mountains,” is home to some of the most beautiful wooden articles in the world today.   Nestled on the border between Germany and the Czech Republic, the Erzgebirge was virtually unsettled during the Middle Ages and covered with dense forests. In the fifteenth century the discovery of various metals including silver and tin ore deposits led to the settlement of the mountains and the foundation of cities.  Silver found in Joachimsthal was used to mint coins known as Joachimsthaler or Thaler, from which the Dollar is derived.

The Erzgebirge, with its abundant wood, was ideal for mining. Rich forests provided the huge timbers for shoring up the ceilings of the mines. The streams of water from the mountain slopes made the harnessing of power possible to be used, not only as pumps in the mines, but for chemical devices to remove the ore.  During the 16th century, the Erzgebirge region became very popular and wealthy as miners worked to collect the silver and tin. More settlers arrived each year in hopes of sharing the wealth from this beautiful region.  For several centuries, it seemed there was an endless supply of varying kinds of metals.  During the 19th century, however, the mining industry slowly trickled to a halt and miners were forced to find other ways of earning a living.

The people who were, by tradition and heritage, miners gradually moved to other areas of vocation in order to feed their families.  Because wood was abundant and hydropower made it possible to turn lathes and/or saws, many miners’ decided to turn their hobbies including woodcarving - they would create toys and other needed items for their homes – into a business. The earliest products, made in the miners’ homes, were simple wooden spindles, plates, wooden staffs and common household articles easily made on the lathe or by saw.  Soon after, simple toys and other handmade articles began to appear, all of which they would sell at local fairs and markets.  More often than not, these wooden products reflected the lives and culture of the people of the region - the hard life of the miners, the dangerous conditions of the dark, damp mines, and the longing of the people for warmth, light, safety and hope.

As more and more miners became highly skilled at the art of creating beautiful wooden treasures, they moved their production to small workshops around the region.  It wasn’t long before Seiffen became the center of this remarkable wooden toy industry.  As early as 1750, toys from this area were sold at Christmas fairs in some of Germany’s biggest cities.  In addition, toy salesman went from village to village offering their toys.  But, because they couldn’t bring all of their samples with them, they carried a book called a “Toy Sample Book” or “Toy Pattern Book”and began taking orders.  Many illustrations from these early sample books are still in existence today and are a rich source of information about the early toys from this area.

Soon the mining industry was all but forgotten and Erzgebirge was once again on its way to prosperity, only this time due to the skill and talent of the inhabitants and their creations of beautiful and exquisite wooden figurines and ornaments.  Thus, the Erzgebirge region became famous for many Christmas traditions such as Nutcrackers, "Räuchermänner", "Christmas pyramids" (carousels with figures of the Christmas story or from mining) and Schwibbogen (wooden arcs with candles in the windows, representing a mine entrance).

Today the Erzgebirge is alive with ancient castles and ruins as well as palaces and churches that reflects the days of wealth and prosperity in the region. And the tradition of creating beautiful wooden folk art including Nutcrackers, Smokers, Christmas Pyramids, Blumenkinder and Schwibboegen lives on in Seiffen and its surrounding villages. Hundreds of dedicated and skilled craftspeople continue to create.  And while modern technology and/or machinery blends with century old techniques, and new products and styles are introduced every year, the tradition of the Erzgebirge is preserved in each and every product made for decades to come.