Ground figure

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Figures that consist of a mostly air-dried mass are referred to as mass figures. This "mass" consists (depending on the manufacturer) of various ingredients. In addition to wood flour and glue, flour, clay, paper fibers, gypsum and other ingredients are also used. A wide variety of motifs can be found on the figures. Mainly the following representations were made: soldiers, dwarfs, miners, angels, Indians, cowboys, crib figures, apostles, Turks, uniformed figures, animals, professional groups.

The figures can be found in sizes from 1.5 cm to over 50 cm.

Wehrmacht soldier with a Hausser / Elastolin flame thrower

These mass or Elastolin figures are used as decorative, motif or toy figures , whereby Elastolin was originally the brand name of the company O. & M. Hausser , which was also used as a generic name for products from other manufacturers.

Manufacturing

The production of the figures also varies depending on the manufacturer. In addition to metal molds made of lead, steel or brass, plaster molds are often used. The mostly two-part form, which contains a negative of the later figure, is filled with the mass on both sides, hollowed out or poured. The two halves are then connected to one another and partly pressed together under the influence of heat. Previously inserted wires inside the figures increased their stability. After deburring, the figures were usually primed and later painted by hand. The production processes often took place entirely or partially in home work.

history

Mass figures were produced in Austria as early as 1880 by the Vienna-based company Emil Pfeiffer , which became world famous for the "[...] loving and colorful painting" of its figures.

Production began in Germany around 1900. Similar to tin figures, it covered an enormous range of topics, but mainly represented war toys . Accessories such as vehicles were mostly made of sheet metal, sometimes there were also mixed forms, for example sheet metal carriages with crew and horses made of mass. Since other manufacturers mostly adhered to Hausser's size standards, the products could often be combined with one another as required. Since many manufacturers not only specialized in war toys, but also represented organizations and management personnel of the Nazi regime in their figures, it was difficult to resume production in all zones of occupation in Germany after the Second World War. War toys were socially outlawed and sometimes forbidden. After a new start with civil issues, military figures could again be offered in the run-up to the rearmament of both German states. However, with the triumphant advance of easier-to-process and more stable plastics, the mass figures disappeared from the market in the 1960s and are still sought-after collector's items.

Mass figures in the Ore Mountains

Mainly in the central Ore Mountains, mass figures have been spreading since the middle of the 19th century and are now counted as traditional handicrafts and cultural assets alongside carving.

First, parts that could not be turned were made from dough and attached to wooden figures (e.g. arms). Later figures were made entirely from a hardening, dough-like mass. This way of making figures offered the poorer population an inexpensive alternative to the expensive carved figures.

The durability of the figures was limited due to their composition and the additional parts (partly made of paper or cardboard). In addition, people in the Ore Mountains usually put the figures (especially at Christmas time) in the window, where they fell victim to moisture or were destroyed by pests such as mice, rats, mites, worms or moths. As a result, more and more mineral components were added to the mass over time in order to increase the durability of the figures.

The heyday of the mass figures in the Ore Mountains was the second half of the 19th century and into the 20th century. In the end, almost the entire production of mass figures in the Ore Mountains came to a standstill, initially due to the war and later due to the invention of plastic.

Figures from the Friedrich Hermann Lahl company - Annaberg.jpg

Manufacturer

The toy and figure manufacturer Emil Pfeiffer Nachf. Was based at Neubaugasse 33 in Vienna .

Many well-known manufacturers were based in the traditional German toy region of Middle Franconia / Thuringia.

Web links

Commons : Elastolin  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ulrich Wilhelm (Responsible): Figures / Colorful hustle and bustle at the train station , sample photography of a group of figures and further information from the TV show Kunst & Krempel of the Bavarian Radio on March 27, 2010, last accessed on September 8, 2016
  2. ↑ Compare, for example, the photograph of the described catalog on ebay , last accessed on September 9, 2016
  3. ↑ Homepage of the company [1]