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The Swiss Doll Collectibles Erika Catellani creates are
different from the "babies" found in children's rooms today. They are
not made of plastic and do not make sounds. Their "feelings" can easily be
read from their lively, natural, hand-painted faces, which are a true work
of art. However, the artist's work does not stop here. Her
ability to design the heads, arms and legs also earns Mrs. Catellani great
respect.
A
visit in the doll-making workshop
Thirteen years ago, after attending
many doll-making courses and seminars, Erika Catellani began to create her
own models using only the finest maple wood. She formed the original
and then a woodcarver sculpted the design. Mrs. Catellani could then fine
tune the facial features and design her own arms and legs. In order to
obtain several copies from the same model, she created bronze molds of
these designs. In this way many different heads, arms and legs could
be created and each doll could still have a completely different look due
to the clothing, hair and painting (each doll's face is hand-painted by
the artist). Thus, she prevents any type of mass production and each
doll receives it's own character.
Eurodolls
The very first time she participated
in an international doll contest Erika Catellani brought home the highest
prize awarded (the "Eurodoll" of the year). She entered the contest with no
expectations whatsoever of winning a medal. The dolls were judged in
categories (wood, porcelain, etc.) and points were given based on:
creativity, painting, clothing, use of materials , and overall impression.
"Anna" from Erika Catellani was crowned the "Eurodoll". Mrs. Catellani
thought this was a once in a lifetime achievement. The criteria for
selection are so strict that some years the "Eurodoll" prize is not even
awarded. A year later Erika Catellani received her second "Eurodoll" title
with, "Lisa", and the following year she took the top medal home again.
Erika Catellani named her company
Swiss Dolls. With all the top awards she has received, her already
well-known dolls have now become more valuable collector's items.
And AlmostEurope is proud to be the
EXCLUSIVE dealer of Erika "Baby" Dolls. Look
at her entire Swiss Doll Collection here.
used with permission, Erika
Catellani |
