12 см tall. Hand made. It is in excellent condition. This item is completely unique and one of a kind. It is impossible perfectly replicate!! The ornament was made of using technique which was used in Germany around the turn of the century in 1900 to create whimsical Christmas ornaments. If you are looking for an outstanding home decor accessory or a true piece of traditional craftsmanship, you will love it! The ornament is entirely made by hand and with great attention to detail. Several steps are necessary to create each character with love & soul. It all starts with an idea translated into a wire frame which will be neatly wrapped with cotton until a new character reveals. After the drying process, the white figurine is ready for the fun part: adding colour and embellishments - carefully collected and stored for "that special one"... Spun cotton ornaments, originated in the Saxony region of Germany back in the second half of the 19th century, during the late Victorian era. These old fashioned beauties were made with cotton batting (and sometime wool batting too), a fluffy, raw looking material made of non-woven fibers. People in those days would wrap and press the cotton batting, by hand, around a metal wire frame. Next, they would cover the ornaments with a starchy liquid to give them a smooth workable surface. Finally, when dry, they would paint the ornaments, and decorate them with glitter, home made paper trimmings, and even cut out paper faces. Traditional spun cotton ornaments were made during the Holidays to be displayed on the Christmas tree. Families would fashion ornaments in the shape of fruits, angels, children, Santa Claus, and even animals. Today, antique spun cotton ornaments are highly collectible. Little information remains regarding how these ornaments were made, despite years of research. A figure that measures 2"-3" often takes several hours to complete. The person more commonly credited with bedecking the first Christmas tree is Martin Luther (1483-1546). Supposedly, while he was walking outside one night, he was so inspired by the stars twinkling through the trees that he cut down a tree and decorated it with candles, to recreate the outdoor effect. No contemporary record of this event exists, so it may never have happened, but if it did, that makes candles the most traditional ornament of all. In the mid 16th century, Christmas markets were set up in German towns, to provide everything from gifts, food and more practical things such as a knife grinder to sharpen the knife to carve the Christmas Goose! At these fairs, bakers made shaped gingerbreads and wax ornaments for people to buy as souvenirs of the fair, and take home to hang on their Christmas Trees. The best record we have is that of a visitor to Strasbourg in 1601. He records a tree decorated with "wafers and golden sugar-twists (Barleysugar) and paper flowers of all colours". The early trees were biblically symbolic of the Paradise Tree in the Garden of Eden. The many food items were symbols of Plenty, the flowers, originally only red (for Knowledge) and White (for Innocence). Two more ornaments can be traced to the Middle Ages as well. Medieval mystery plays, designed to entertain the masses while teaching them Christian doctrine, often featured "paradise trees" decorated with apples. Apples and other fruits made their way onto Christmas trees quite early, first in natural forms and later made from marzipan, glass, and other materials. Mystery play trees also featured unconsecrated Communion wafers, representing the antidote to the forbidden fruit. Wafers appeared on early Christmas trees, too. Fruit has always been associated with Christmas. In Europe fruits and nuts and gingerbreads were popular gifts, and small locally grown apples and hard pears and nuts were often placed on Christmas trees throughout Europe and Britain. But only locally grown and plentiful fruits, which were later eaten from the branches as part of the Christmas feasting. If candles, apples, and wafers don't seem quite festive enough, it's also historically accurate to add paper roses and shiny foil shapes. When you purchase from a Spun Cotton Ornament, you are receiving a piece of history!!! ? Please be advised that due to pandemic, potential shipping delays are possible!! ? Pictures are part of the description and reflect the current state of the article. The real color of the item may be slightly different from the pictures shown on website caused by many factors such as brightness of your monitor and light brightness. ? Shipping: Standard domestic and international shipping. We are more than happy to combine purchases. We ship via registered airmail with the tracking number within 72 hours of receipt of cleared payment. ? Please keep in mind that shipping takes 3-5 weeks to the USA and 10-20 days to Europe. ? Please note that any returns, insurances or customs duties levied are the responsibility of the buyer. Customs can cause delays with your shipment which the seller has no control over. Please consider such delays when making your purchase. ? Returns: If you are not happy with your item, please return it to us in its original packaging within 14 days. Return shipping must be paid for by the buyer.