A Gathering Of Mudmen
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Cheryl Ferverda has acquired her bonsai mudmen figurines from all over the world. |
One Chinese figurine from New Orleans now has plenty of company.
Cheryl Ferverda bought her first bonsai mudman 16 years ago in New Orleans – although at the time “I didn’t even know that’s what they were called.”
Mudmen figurines have been used by the Chinese for more than 1,000 years as part of miniature landscapes called bonsais. The figurines, made out of river mud, are scaled to be a part of the miniature landscapes.
She was in the Crescent City for a library conference and stopped into a shop looking for a memento of the trip – something small she could put into an old typesetting box she used to display collectables.
In the shop was a glass case filled with tiny figurines depicting scenes of Chinese life: reading, fishing, sitting holding flutes, scrolls or pots.
Ferverda settled on a man reading a book, because books have been such a big part of her life. She works for the Allen County Public Library, “and of course I am an avid reader.”
Today, that single purchase has grown into a collection of more than 100 figurines. She had collected about a dozen before she even knew what they were called.
“I was really fascinated by the expressions on their faces,” she said. “What I buy are the ones that speak to me.”
Her collection includes figurines ranging from about one-quarter inch tall to a matching pair about 4 inches tall. They can range in price from 50 cents to thousands of dollars, but “my most expensive is in the $35 range,” Ferverda said.
The practice of bonsai, which usually includes a plant meticulously pruned to look like a miniature tree, has been around for 1,000 years. Ferverda isn’t aware of any of her own figurines being old, but she’s found them all over the world, from England to Portland, Ore., to the botanical gardens here in Fort Wayne. Several have been given to her as gifts. She often finds them in gift shops, but not, as one might expect, in antique stores.
She’s ordered a couple off the Internet, but prefers to find them in stores. Because they’re not an item found just anywhere, Ferverda said it’s serendipitous when she runs across one or a collection in a store. “You get that really uplifted feeling when you find them.”
The figurines aren’t just men with Fu Manchu mustaches. They include women, animals and sometimes temples or buildings. Some are enameled; most in Ferverda’s collection are not.
Ferverda loves to travel and says she loves people, and she thinks that’s why the mudmen, with their various activities and facial expressions, appeal to her. Besides, she’s never been to China, so the mudmen enrich her culturally with their rich symbolism. “It’s a whole different life than I’ve ever lived.”
The library put part of her collection on display a while back. At home she has some on display; others are tucked into bins.
Despite her large collection, she still buys them when she finds one that’s meaningful to her, and will continue to collect them. She’s taking a trip abroad next year, and plans “to see if they’ve got Chinese mudmen in Greece.”
Cheryl Ferverda bought her first bonsai mudman 16 years ago in New Orleans – although at the time “I didn’t even know that’s what they were called.”
Mudmen figurines have been used by the Chinese for more than 1,000 years as part of miniature landscapes called bonsais. The figurines, made out of river mud, are scaled to be a part of the miniature landscapes.
She was in the Crescent City for a library conference and stopped into a shop looking for a memento of the trip – something small she could put into an old typesetting box she used to display collectables.
In the shop was a glass case filled with tiny figurines depicting scenes of Chinese life: reading, fishing, sitting holding flutes, scrolls or pots.
Ferverda settled on a man reading a book, because books have been such a big part of her life. She works for the Allen County Public Library, “and of course I am an avid reader.”
Today, that single purchase has grown into a collection of more than 100 figurines. She had collected about a dozen before she even knew what they were called.
“I was really fascinated by the expressions on their faces,” she said. “What I buy are the ones that speak to me.”
Her collection includes figurines ranging from about one-quarter inch tall to a matching pair about 4 inches tall. They can range in price from 50 cents to thousands of dollars, but “my most expensive is in the $35 range,” Ferverda said.
The practice of bonsai, which usually includes a plant meticulously pruned to look like a miniature tree, has been around for 1,000 years. Ferverda isn’t aware of any of her own figurines being old, but she’s found them all over the world, from England to Portland, Ore., to the botanical gardens here in Fort Wayne. Several have been given to her as gifts. She often finds them in gift shops, but not, as one might expect, in antique stores.
She’s ordered a couple off the Internet, but prefers to find them in stores. Because they’re not an item found just anywhere, Ferverda said it’s serendipitous when she runs across one or a collection in a store. “You get that really uplifted feeling when you find them.”
The figurines aren’t just men with Fu Manchu mustaches. They include women, animals and sometimes temples or buildings. Some are enameled; most in Ferverda’s collection are not.
Ferverda loves to travel and says she loves people, and she thinks that’s why the mudmen, with their various activities and facial expressions, appeal to her. Besides, she’s never been to China, so the mudmen enrich her culturally with their rich symbolism. “It’s a whole different life than I’ve ever lived.”
The library put part of her collection on display a while back. At home she has some on display; others are tucked into bins.
Despite her large collection, she still buys them when she finds one that’s meaningful to her, and will continue to collect them. She’s taking a trip abroad next year, and plans “to see if they’ve got Chinese mudmen in Greece.”
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posted by Davor Novakovic @ Monday, November 07, 2005
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