Description: Here we have a very rare pre-Goebel-contract, entirely handmade, miniature figurine by IGMA artisan Robert Olszewski. This is one of the un-authorized copies of Goebel Hummel designs that Olszewski made prior to signing a contract with Goebel, which then went on to mass produce his designs. Unlike with those machine-made pieces, Olszewski made this one-of-a-kind cast bronze copy of "Ride Into Christmas" using the lost wax method, and then hand-painted it himself. It is hand-signed by him -- not a machine -- on the back of the base. These one-of-a-kind pieces seldom come up for auction, and are far more valuable than the pieces mass-produced by Goebel. See last photo for the results of the last one of these that appeared on eBay -- which took place about 3 years ago, in 2021. We have one other of these pre-Goebel, unauthorized Hummel figurines by Olszewski ("Stormy Weather") in our store, to which we add new inventory daily, and we're always happy to combine shipping at actual cost. This dollhouse miniature is from the estate of Hank Kupjack, the son of the legendary miniaturist Eugene Kupjack, who worked alongside his father at Kupjack Studios in Oak Park, Illinois. The portion of Hank's estate that we purchased at auction included known pieces (some signed, some not) by the Kupjacks; signed pieces of other esteemed miniaturists; and unsigned pieces of all types that were part of the estate collection. This particular piece is not a Kupjack piece, but is a signed piece of another IGMA artisan miniaturist. Condition: Our photographs reveal the condition best -- please enlarge and zoom in on them, and examine them carefully. Very fresh and clean piece in minty condition with no signs of use or abuse. We use the term Minty, not Mint, to distinguish between something that we know has been used even though it shows no signs of use (Minty) and something that we know is brand new and unused (Mint.) Approximate measurements: 5/8" in height, and 0.5" in width -- also see photos with rulers Shipping: The insurance cost alone for this package is at least $14.15. We do our best to provide the lowest shipping rates by giving you as many choices as possible. You can find all of the rates available to you by scrolling to the Shipping section below (if on the app/a cell phone) or by clicking on the "SEE DETAILS" link to the right of the "Shipping" amount noted next to the photos (if on the browser/computer version.) These are the only ways to view all of your shipping options (including their costs and arrival dates.) We consider funky odors (cigarette smoke, mildew, etc) to be an important part of a condition report. Corndogcache is a 100% non-smoking environment, and we'll let you know if any of our vintage items smell like it (or anything else) from activities they may have been involved in before they came to us. The Fine Print:We expect payment within 1 day of purchase. If you're waiting for other auctions to end so that you can combine shipping, shoot us a message to let us know.If you're unable to pay within terms, please reach out with your Plan B. Things happen. Especially these days. So just shoot us a message.We don't accept buyer-remorse returns but we will grant you the use of our description and photos so that you can re-ebay the item yourself.Although we don't accept buyer-remorse returns, reach out if you're unhappy with your purchase! If we messed up -- everybody does -- give us a chance to fix it. We promise it was unintentional, and we'll do what we can to make it right.Eugene Kupjack's obituary, as published in The New York Times, November 16, 1991 edition: "Eugene J. Kupjack, who produced the 30 American miniature rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago, died on Nov. 8 at Resurrection Hospital in Chicago. He was 79 years old and lived in Park Ridge, Ill.He died of congestive heart failure, his son Henry said.Mr. Kupjack's miniature rooms at the Chicago museum -- 30 shadow-box settings ranging in style from the Colonial period to Art Deco -- were widely admired when they first went on public view at the 1939 World's Fair. The rooms were designed by Narcissa Niblack Thorne, widow of James Ward Thorne, a Montgomery Ward & Company department store heir, who sent them to the Art Institute after the fair closed in 1941, and eventually donated them to the museum.Before attending a memorial service for Mr. Kupjack at the museum yesterday, Marshall Field 5th, chairman of the museum, said by telephone that the rooms had been on view at the museum most of the time for 50 years and "they remain one of our most popular exhibits."Mr. Kupjack went to work for Mrs. Thorne in 1937. After reading an article in Life magazine about the European-style miniature rooms she had devised using antiques, he sent her, unsolicited, a miniature chair with a cane seat and a plastic plate and goblet he had made. "Mrs. Thorne telephoned my father," Henry Kupjack said yesterday. "She asked him how he knew she couldn't find any canework and where he had bought the glass plate and goblet. My father told her the plate and goblet weren't glass but Lucite -- plastic. And she replied, 'How would you like to come and work for me.' "Mr. Kupjack was born in Chicago, where he attended art classes at the Art Institute for a decade, beginning when he was 8 years old. He attended Crane College. During World War II, he served as a lieutenant commander and commander in the Office of Naval Research in Washington, making orthopedic instruments, 13 of which are patented. In Museum CollectionsAfter he left the Navy in 1948, he worked mostly for Mrs. Thorne until shortly before her death in 1966. In 1959, he was commissioned by the American Institute of Decorators to produce 17 miniature rooms, copies of important settings designed by such interior decorators as William Pahlmann and Mrs. Henry Parish 2d.Mr. Kupjack went on to produce more than 700 period-style miniature rooms from his studio in Park Ridge, working for corporations and collectors seeking traditional rooms with doll-house-scale furnishings one-twelfth normal size. His rooms are in the collections of the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum in Delaware, the Forbes Magazine gallery in New York City and the Palm Springs Desert Museum in Palm Springs, Calif.In addition to his son Henry, of Chicago, Mr. Kupjack is survived by another son, Jay, of Park Ridge, and a brother, Raymond, of Sante Fe, N.M.
Price: 540 USD
Location: Chicago, Illinois
End Time: 2024-11-15T02:42:03.000Z
Shipping Cost: 18 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Unit of Sale: Single Unit
Antique: No
Color: Multicolor
Suitable for Room: Any Room, Bedroom, Dining Room, Hallway, Hospital/Doctor, Kitchen, Library, Living Room, Music Room, Office, Pub/Bar, School, Shop, Sunroom
Scale: 1:12
Set Includes: Art, Home Décor, Figurine, Shelf Sitter
Year Manufactured: 1979
Material: Metal
Age Level: 16+
Franchise: Hummel
Vintage: Yes
Brand: Robert Olszewski
Type: Figurine
Original/Licensed Reproduction: Original
Item Height: 5/8 in
Style: Cottage
Theme: Children
Features: Artist Made, One Of A Kind, Painted
Time Period Manufactured: 1970-1979
Number of Items: 1
Handmade: Yes
