COLLECTIONS: CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

One of the more recent of my Christman Angel collection that is dressed in rust and gold beading, gold lace wings and a porcelain head.

I have collected Christmas Angels since I can remember and add one each year.  Most of them had been carefully packed away in my storage locker.  A couple of years ago I decided to unpack them and look at them and realized they needed a home where they could be on display, admired and loved.  I found the perfect place for them at my dear friends home and they decided that “my” bedroom would house my precious angel collection.  I must tell you the first time I saw all of them displayed together in many, many years was very emotional and brought back the history of each of them.  I must also mention that my friends home is top to bottom, inside and out Christmas and that they were excited to adopt my treasures was very special to me! I have some that stay up all year in my kitchen as well as a collection of angels and cherubs that are scattered among my paintings and other object d’art. I wanted to share some of them with you today.

One of my oldest (probably late 1940’s), and one I dearly love….don’t you love her bowed legs, which are pipe cleaners!  She is placed next to a display on the dressing table in the bedroom, the vintage display head is from my old office along with a delightful vintage clock the owners found antiquing.

A few more of the older angels.  All but one (she has a wooden head and a gold painted tube for her skirt, she is early 1950’s) have wax faces and hands and dressed in velvet gowns.  I love that they are standing on a bed of angel hair….brilliant!

A hand painted wax face and an elaborate gold pleated foil and braid gown. Probably late 1990’s. More of the vintage (late 1940’s or early 1950’s) velvet robed angels.

Another with wax face and hands, fur muff and white velvet gown trimmed with gold and pearl braid detail.  Also, mid-1990’s

My newest angel, from 2015, purchased at the Randolph Street Market at one of the Holiday markets.  She is gowned in vintage lace, ribbons and gold braid with a wonderful vintage paper face.  She lives with me. Love her!!!

A view of Tom Hawley and Tom Mantel’s Christmas in the City by Dept. 56 collection. My favorite piece is the Conservatory on the left bottom of the photo.  But you could spend hours gazing at the display and see something new each time.  Quite impressive wouldn’t you agree!!!

Another view of Christmas in the City.

To me, there is nothing more precious that tradition and, of course, memories at any time of the year but especially during the Holidays…and that tradition is also true of dear friends who become family and love Christmas as much as I do and have taken my beloved angels into their home….lucky me!

All photos, with the exception of last year’s angel, which I took, are courtesy of Tom Mantel