 by Cindy MichalakThe Nationals are over and I want to say congratulations to all of the winners, although I am writing this before the actual show due to my deadline. For this issue, I wanted to write about lesser-known items many of you would never get to see. Items that are not mass-produced and only made on a limited basis. Because these are unique and not available everywhere (if at all), I am withholding what I feel their value would be so as not to slight any artists out there.
First of all is this darling Borzoi sitting at his desk writing on the computer—an up-to-date computer that has a video camera. As you can see, there is a hand-drawn picture of a Borzoi on the screen. The overall piece measures 5" tall on a 7" wood base. The artist must have thought the Borzoi would be outside with his PC because he put him on grass. The Borzoi is made of clay, the computer and keyboard are plastic with the remaining items wood. It has a sticker on the bottom that reads “Genis Products.” I bought this off eBay as the only bidder in 2002 and have never seen another one like it again.
This next Borzoi is one of those shelf-sitter things. It is carved out of wood, even though it looks like a durable plastic. It measures 6½" tall and was made by Michael Park, Woodcarver, from a town in Pennsylvania. I found this by doing a search on the Internet for Borzoi collectibles. You just never know what’s out there until you look. I guess not everything will appear on eBay. It sits on a shelf in my kitchen allowing it to watch me cook and seems to have brought me good luck just like a kitchen witch would do (although I do admit to having one of those as well). The following three pictures show sculptures made by the same artist. Mary Ellen Smith of Illinois can be found selling not only on eBay from time to time but also at some of the major dog shows in the Chicago area.
I bought this first Borzoi with her puppies at a dog show in 1986. At the time, she was simply walking around the dog show with two Borzoi sculptures; this one and the following one. It was when she first started doing sculptures and wasn’t sure how to go about spreading the word. Mom was with me and she actually bought this one, while I bought the next. This piece measures 3" tall x 8" long.
Here is the mate. It looks like a pre-mating ritual with one that is colored like the [above] dam with pups and perhaps the black and white Borzoi is the sire. It is beautiful the way they were joined together to make one large piece. Fragile isn’t a good enough adjective to tell you how dainty the ceramic is! It measures 12" across and was also made in 1986.
Years later, this artist found her way to the Chicago International Dog Show with a booth housing her handmade ceramics in several different breeds. What a unique idea here; a Borzoi flying an airplane. I think the airplane is just a little bit too small for the Borzoi but was obviously made to just be a cute collectible. All the serious poses can be left to the mass-produced items while this one leaves a lot to the imagination. It measures 4" tall.
Here is a lovely covered dish with a nice Borzoi reclining on the top that can be used as the handle. It is ceramic with a nice kiln firing to bring out that glossy shine. It measures 4½" tall x 7½" long. I believe someone won this at a past dog show (if I remember correctly) and I purchased it via auction. The bottom is simply engraved CW. Does anyone have any further history on this? Perhaps one of the readers remembers making this at one time. I bought it because I thought it was lovely; don’t you agree?
Here we are at my “save the best for last” item. This bowl came from Germany, made by an artist that actually owns Irish Wolfhounds. The Borzoi are remarkably well done, right down to the veining on the face. I have different “pretend” fruit that usually sits in the bowl and is used as my dining room table centerpiece. It is a very heavy bowl, measuring 14" across, 5" high and is quite thick, making it harder to break (thank goodness). I paid dearly for this item ($150 including shipping) but since it is so gorgeous and not a mass-produced item, it makes it a valuable collectible to me. This lady also made a smaller version of this bowl that has only three Borzoi on it that she sold on eBay. Perhaps one of you reading this is standing up waving your hand at me saying it was you that bought it! I’m sure you’ll agree that this is a breathtaking item. That’s it! Hopefully I will see many of you at the Midwest shows this year. I will be coming back out of the closet with two of my own linebred Borzoi puppies. They were only three months at the National but perhaps you got a glimpse of them there. Good luck to all, and I hope to meet up with you in the ring soon!§ |
