Vintage MI Hummel RETREAT TO SAFETY 201 2/0,TMK-3

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Vintage MI Hummel RETREAT TO SAFETY 201 2/0,TMK-3 A rt 2g o S tu di o presents fro your consideration: a Goebel/M.I. Hummel Figurine, titled "Retreat to Safety," as pictured in the photo gallery above & below: This piece is in MINT Condition , without chips,cracks, or crazing. Except for repair at the neck area. Basically, unnoticeable on display. No box or documents available. Signed, by the artist 3 Original paper label attached History & Markings Hum 201: "Retreat to Safety" Was o riginally designed by Goebel master sculptor Reinhold Unger in 1948. Once titled "Afraid." Goebel issued various sizes through the years,from 4" to 5.5" This figurine is 201 2/0 four inch size The model number 201 2/0, design year 1948 and production number 71 incised under the base. Also stamped in blue, by Goebel with trademark (TMK-3) the Stylized Bee mark ca 1957-1960, and by W. Germany in blue ink plus West Germany in black. This piece has a book value between $475-$525 USD, according to Luckey's 12th Edition Hummel Price Guide. The History of Sister M.I. (Bertha) Hummel M.I. Hummel figurines were born in Germany in the year 1935. But their origins go back even further, to rural Bavaria in the early years of the century, where a talented girl was growing up - a girl named Berta Hummel. She was a whirlwind of youthful energy, creative from her earliest days. This merry child of whimsy was born in 1909, the third of six brothers and sisters. Berta's strict Catholic education began at age six. The Sisters in the one-room, country schoolhouse were amazed by her artistic ability. Her quick, perceptive sketches won her the attention and admiration of her classmates. When she reached age 12, a teacher recommended that Berta be sent to the Institute of English Sisters, Marienhoehe, a 20-mile journey. This boarding school was an excellent place for Berta to begin formal artistic training - and a huge financial burden for the Hummel family. But Berta's father - himself an artist forced for financial reasons to abandon his dream - was determined to give his daughter the chance he never had. Before long, the idyllic days at Marienhoehe came to an end. Berta was a young woman of 18, ready to make her way in the world. It was decided that her talent needed further development in a professional atmosphere beyond what rural Bavaria could provide. She was bound for Munich. STUDENT DAYS IN MUNICH In 1927, Munich was a magnet for artists, a center of modern design in Germany. At the Academy of Applied Arts, Berta studied in the traditional manner -- anatomy, portraiture, still life, landscapes, even fashion sketches. Berta produced impressive work while a student in Munich. But she never stopped sketching scenes of her Massing childhood - caricatures of Bavarian children going about their lives with innocence and joy. In Munich, Berta became quieter, more introspective. Although well-liked, she shied away from raucous student life, preferring the structured yet comforting atmosphere of the Catholic dormitory where she made her home. Berta befriended two Franciscan Sisters - Laura and Kostka - who had come to Munich to train as art teachers. Berta grew quite close to these friends. She borrowed and eagerly studied their Franciscan Book of Rules. Her future suddenly began to crystalize. In the Spring of 1931, Berta Hummel graduated at the very top of her class. She was invited to stay and teach at the Academy, but turned the offer down. After graduation, Berta entered the Convent of Siessen, determined to devote her life and her art to the service of God. THE CONVENT OF SIESSEN Deep in the German countryside, on land hallowed as a Convent for seven centuries, Berta passed through the gates of her new home. The rich scent of overturned earth was in the air as the Sisters set about spring planting. Siessen was a self-supporting Convent founded by the Dominicans in the year 1259. In 1860, the Convent passed to a Fran... read more

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