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The Cobbler's Workshop
Date Added: 31 January 2007
This is a very rare and perhaps one of the earliest bottles known. It is truly incredible bottle containing a scene of four people standing and sitting around a cobbler's bench holding wine and bread as if in celebration. There are three men and one woman all carved from wood. The clothing is from the early 1700's and is carved in wood except for the woman's clothing, the aprons on two of the men, and the hats each figure is wearing all of which are made from cloth. The woman is wearing a gray skirt with red embroidery on the back that may be initials. The first letter is unidentifiable but the second looks like a "K." She is wearing a long sleeve white shirt and her bonnet is made from the same material. There is a blue scarf tied around her neck. She has black shoes and gray socks. In one of her outstretched arms is a large stein and in her other hand is a small loaf of bread. She is portrayed standing. Next to the woman is a man seated on a three-legged wooden stool. The man has a blue long sleeved shirt and has a full apron. He is wearing a blue hat with a fine coiled wire extending from the side of the hat. He has long white cotton or wool hair and has black shoes. His arms are raised showing an open hand with a finger pointing and the other hand holds wooden goblet. In front of the woman and man is a long work bench. Across the work bench are two more people. There is a man standing with one of his arms down near his side and holding a loaf of bread. His other hand is up high with a finger extended as if pointing. He is depicted wearing a suede colored jacket. He has long white hair and is wearing a three-cornered hat with a fine coiled wire extending from the back. Next to this man is another man sitting on a three-legged wooden stool. He is also dressed in a suede colored jacket and is wearing a cloth apron. This man also has long white hair and is wearing a cloth hat that has fine coiled wire extending from the top. He has one are raised and is holding a wooden goblet. His other arm is in a down position and is hold a long length of thread or rope. All of the figures as carved with very detailed facial features. The work bench has 4 wooden legs and is full of shoemaking tools and three shoes in the process of being made or perhaps repaired. There are several awls and knifes on the bench. There is a large black boot in the corner of the bottle next to the man in the three-cornered hat. There is another shoe between this man and the man seated beside him. The men and the workbench are on a wooden planked floor. The bottle is sealed with a wooden stopper that is slotted inside the bottle so that two cross arms can go through forming a "plus sign" that keeps the top from being removed. Outside the bottle, the stopper is cared in a cone shape and is painted or stained in a dark leather appearance. There are two holes on the side of the top that were probably where string was used to pull the trick cross arms into place in the bottle stopper. The bottle is a 1700's hand blown green bottle with out markings. It has a very pronounced pontil on the bottom.
Type: Shoemaker Shop Diorama   Maker's Name:
Category: Figures   Made Where:
Bottle Size: 6 1/4" x 4"   Year Made: 1715 - 1740
Bottle Type: Handblown, Pontil