SALE M.I Hummel “Serenade” Figurine # 85, TMK-2 Full Bee

Porcelain : By Maker Or Type : M I Hummel Figurines By Goebel

 

This little fellow goes by the name of “serenade, but was called “the Flutist” in early company literature. Introduced in the late 1930's he was originally molded by master sculptor Arthur Moeller.

This figurine has undergone normal changes of style, colors and finishes over the years, but none have had significant impact on the collector value. An interesting variation concerns the boy’s fingers on the flute. You can find some with fingers extended and other versions have all fingers down (as my fella does) There seems to be no association with any particular mark or marks one way or the other.

The full bee trademark 2 (TMK-2)was first used around 1940, and is in fact the first time Gobel used the bee in its trademark. This bee is sometimes found along with the Crown trademark, and sometimes with an R on the base also.

This Hummel has the following hallmark/marking incised around the back edge on the doughnut base: M. I. Hummel. Back stamps/trademarks incised on the bottom include: style number "85/0"; and a blue “Bee in V” trademark, also called TMK-2 or Full Bee stamp. The word “Germany” is stamped in black and there is a black hand-painted signature mark of the painter of the figure under the glaze. He is the basic 4 & 3/4 inches tall.

There is some old glue attached to the bottom, at some point I think it had felt on it (he has a hollow base) that came off years ago. I have not tried to clean any of that off. In fact, the entire little fella could use a cleaning, I do not clean items other than a soft dusting as I understand it is preferred by collectors to do so themselves.

A little about Sister Hummel: Born in Bavaria in 1909, Berta Hummel entered the religious life and in 1934, took the name Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel. At the age of 25, Sister Hummel was already an accomplished artist, having graduated form Munich’s Academy of Applied Arts; her talents were allowed to flourish at Siessen Convent as an art teacher. It was here, before passing from tuberculosis at the age of 37, that Sister Hummel painted and sold her renditions of the beloved cherub-like children that surrounded her throughout her life. The sale to local publishers helped raise money for the convent and its humanitarian works. The publishers in turn sold Sister’s paintings in the form of postcards. It was one of these postcards that caught the eye of Franz Goebel, and in 1935 “the rest became history” as they say. If you would like to know more about Sister M. I. Hummel, her work, where her figurines are produced today and how, I suggest you visit the official website

Item ID: 100509227