The Hummel Figurine world is a massive collection of religious and iconic figurines based on the drawings by a german nun named Maria Innocentia Hummel (typically abbreviated and trademarked as M.I. Hummel).
The works of Sister Maria were discovered by the porcelain manufacturer Franz Goebel, who had been creating works in a firm near the town of Oeslauby in Germany back in 1876. This company would later be brought into the 20th century thanks to the efforts of Franz's son William, who used the american market to improve sales.
It was during the early part of the 20th century, specifically the 1930s, in a time of political unrest, that Franz felt the world needed a product that would reaffirm people's faith in childhood innocence. It was through the discovery of M.I. Hummels works, who had trained at the Munich Academy, that allowed him to follow this dream. Sister Hummel's works were pictures of country children in playful settings that were printed as art cards.
Using these images as a basis, Franz sought to produce a set of figurines. Seeking permission from the Convent of Siessen, Franz was shown clay models that were based around the drawings of Sister Hummel. Goebel was then granted sole rights to the creation of ceramic figurines using the original artwork as inspiration. Each work was personally approved by Sister Hummel, and used earthenware pioneered by Franz Goebel in the 1920s.
There are a number of marks that will allow the Hummel Figurine collector to identify whether their piece is authentic or not. On every piece the owner should find an incision by Sister M.I. Hummel, created as a mark of approval and as requested by the nun herself. Under the supervision of herself and the convent these approvals were made with much care. On the bottom of every Hummel figurine can be found a mould number that is incised on each hummel figurine at the factory. Here you will also find an official Goebel stamp, the trademark of the Goebel porcelain manufacturing company. This trademark has undergone some changes of the course of the century, but each M.I. Hummel figurine will have a Goebel stamp on the bottom. This change in stamp has created an interesting lineage in hummel figurine collecting and is a source of joy for collectors.
How much is my Hummel Figurine Worth?
It is possible that your Hummel Figurine, depending on the specific model, could be valued at hundreds or even thousands of pounds/dollars. If you own "For Father", or Going to Grandmas" then chances are you've got a really collectible little item. Remember however that the condition of the item will affect it's overall value, so try and maintain your piece in as mint condition as possible. Another thing to consider is that potential buyers may not offer you the real value of your Hummel figurine since they want to maximise their potential profits, especially if they plan to resell the item themselves.
The Hummel Figurine Company Today
Being a traditionalist company, the Hummel figurine company employs the same standards and practices today as it has always done. There are a number of stages a Hummel figurine goes through from conception to creation. First, one of the works of Sister M.I. Hummel is carefully studied by a master sculptor from the Goebel company. This is typically a painting or a drawing.
Then, using the fine imagination only available to true master sculptors, the two dimensional image is recreated in three dimensions. Once these details are set in clay, and always in the style as approved by Sister Hummel, the real work of sculpting the artwork takes place. A typical sculpting can take weeks or months, with the end product being a beautiful work of art that is presented to the Artistic Board at the Convent of Siessen.
From there, the sculptor and a master mouldmaker decide on how and where to cut the figurine so the process of creating a mould can begin. It is possible to have as many as forty pieces for a single figurine. These pieces are then carefully sunk into a clay mould, and then covered in plaster of paris. From here many plaster moulds are made, which results in a working model.
From here, another plaster of paris working model is made, which has a short shelf life, so needs to be used quickly.
Third, a liquid ceramic is poured into the moulds, with any moisture being absorbed by the plaster This then hardens into a hollow ceramic shell which is then assembled into a figurine, which is glued together with excess ceramic and smoothed, before being left for a week to dry.
Fourth comes the firing at extreme temperatures on at least three separate occasions. This is a long process to avoid damage from sudden changes in temperature.
Using special hues based on the M.I. Hummel artworks, the figurine is then painted, fired again, and then taken through a massive selection of quality control checkpoints before going on sale to a great new home like yours.
