MODERN TOY

1900

Lead toy. Cast figurine with a slightly bulbous and rounded base, in the form of Santa Claus holding a small Christmas tree in the crook of his arm. The figure is robed, bearded and moustachioed, with a brimmed or fur-trimmed hat or hood tapering to a flat-ended point. An incised line separates the base of the robed figure from the broad rounded base of the object, perhaps to emphasise the fur trim of the hem of his robe. Patinated overall.The introduction of the Christmas Tree to Britain is traditionally associated with Prince Albert (1819-1861) in the mid-19th century, and the image of Santa is of slightly later date, albeit drawing on older northern European folklore. The finder kindly reports that his internet research has yielded a single close parallel of this form: a glass Christmas tree bauble made in Germany in the 1930s. The material here would challenge the balance of all but the most well-rooted firs, so this use would seem to be ruled out. The rounded base suggested a possible identification as a weeble, a toy with a weighted and rounded base which ensures the figure always returns to the vertical when knocked ('a weeble wobbles but it won't fall down'). This example, however, fails the test of balance demanded of a weeble. However, the rounded base equally forbids use as a standing weight or doorstop, and bears no damage, so is unlikely to have been used as a pounding tool. It is perhaps most likely an individually cast sport, made in a mould taken from an ornament of entirely different material.Suggested date: Modern, 1900-1950.Height: 81.5mm, Width: 44.5mm, Thickness: 39mm, Weight: in excess of 500gms, possibly c.1000gms though unmeasured