Early to mid-1800s antique meerschaum figures of baby Jesus in a manger. Meerschaum is made of the mineral Sepiolite known as Meerschaum (German for „ sea foam“), which sometimes floats on the sea and looks like foam (hence the German name). These are both from France. The smaller of the figures is much older and can be seen by the way the face is worn. The hand on one side has also been chipped, and part is missing. This must have happened years ago, as there is matching colorization with the rest of the piece. Despite the small chip, this is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. It needs a good cleaning with a fine brush to remove 200 years of dirt and dust. The larger piece dates to the mid-1800s and shows no signs of damage. It maintains a nice warm patina, which is typical of these pieces; however, it could use a good cleaning.
A - 2" long x 1.5" wide x 1.45" tall
B. - 2.2" long x 1.75" wide x 2" tall
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