Friday 18 January 2013

a puzzling wooden puzzle and some special chipped china

Chipped china? Whoever wants chipped china? Very rarely though, but I do. If it ticks certain boxes.

This rectangular Arabia dish ticked a lot of boxes and came home with me. I adore 60's era illustration, and vintage Arabia is very coveted - to be honest if this little dish was without its faults I couldn't afford to buy it. In the home country of Arabia their designs and their value is widely known so it's unlikely that I might find one in perfect condition for my budget.

And for my budget, I payed top money for chipped china - four whole euros...! Glad I did, because I love looking at this Pohjanmaa design by Raija Uosikkinen from the early sixties. What do you think, would you have bought it, chipped corners and all?


When stuff I buy shows signs of use by its previous owner, I can't help but try to guess about the details of that history.

I keep wondering about this one too... how come the top corners got chipped so badly? My theory is that maybe an old pipe smoking gentleman used it as an ashtray, to knock his pipe out in...I guess we'll never know.


As to the design, Pohjanmaa is the western part of Finland where people wear pointy boots like these ones and wonderful linens and knitted sweaters in their folk attire.

In the little background scenery there are town houses and traditional old log houses. Those particular ones without any window look like the storage barns for grain they used to build everywhere in Finland. We have some around here too; I took this photo last spring.



Now, what's odd about this old wooden jigsaw puzzle here?

When I saw it in the junk shop, I noted to myself that it looked odd, then I walked on. Later I went back for it and bought it, so I could keep guessing about it at home.


The scene it depicts looked strange and unlikely to me. I thought, in what earthly circumstance or land would a giraffe and a small family of forest deer be seen together, grazing happily?

My theory was that the stag is there only for scale to show how big a giraffe is, an animal not many Europeans would have seen for real in olden times... My boyfriend thought that this could easily be in Africa as deer live there too.

After a bit of research I found that he was right as spotty fallow deer do indeed live in Southern parts of Africa. So does the majestic red deer whose antlers in this puzzle are pointing towards snowy white peaks which are much in the likeness of Mount Kilimanjaro. Who'd have thought that holes in my knowledge of geographical zoology will be filled in by an old pictorial jigsaw puzzle?

14 comments:

  1. you find the most beautiful things. That puzzle is so tactile!

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    1. thank you! :) it's nice with the big pieces, i'd imagine it's feels especially nice in little hands. it looks hand-made too.

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  2. I don't know.
    I love the plate, but I am not sure if I would have bought it. I already have enough plates and cups (and almost everything) so I try to buy only things with no cracks or chips. But sometimes you just can't resist. So I totally understand your excitement!
    Have a nice weekend!

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    1. yeah, this one i just couldn't resist. i still have space in the kitchen but this is not for eating from... so it was a total indulgence :) i think i'll use it as a pin tray when sewing

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  3. I absolutely buy chipped china if it is that cute. So cute for decorating with!

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    1. i agree - but usually the chips or cracks (especially if the damage affects the main parts of the design) put me off... but this one, i think it can get away with those chips just okay :)
      PS. welcome to the blog, thanks for coming by and following, too!

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  4. I would have bought it, it is beautiful. I know how coveted Arabia is. Is vintage Arabia hard to find in Finland? I have been there but was not into vintage then as I am today. I have a set of arabia coasters which I just use for display. Three are perfect and one has been repaired, I love them just the same. You live in a beautiful country!

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    1. hey there, i'd say it's not uncommon, but pieces from the 80s onwards are more abundant.

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  5. I would buy it if it fit in a certain collection or decoration idea or if I had a special use for it. And if the price is right. I do not mind the chipped bit so much, the design is to nice for that to be a problem. Hope you have a nice place to show it of :-)

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    1. hey thanks :) i think i'll use it as a pin dish on my sewing table - i like looking at it but i like putting things to use too :) otherwise i'd like to come up with an unusual display solution... not a big fan of those wire- or plastic plate supports.

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  6. I would have thrifted these pieces as well (chips and all)!

    I wanted to invite you to join in my thrifted link up.
    http://www.youngheartoldsoul.com

    Cheers!

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    1. hi Wendy, thanks for your invite, i like sharing my finds! :) cool that you started one!

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  7. Definitely a keeper, lovely plate and new design to me. I am glad you left a comment on my blog, because now I can follow yours :)

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    1. thanks! it gives me a piece of mind about the chipped corners, that you like it too!
      thanks for following! :)

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