Reifendrehen
Encyclopedia
Reifendrehen is a unique type of toy manufacture using wood turning techniques that was developed in the Ore Mountains
in the vicinity of the town of Seiffen and continues there to the present day. The process produces small animals and other figures or even little wooden houses in outline, that are used as toys or to decorate Christmas pyramids or Nativity scene
s. The animals and figures (Reifentiere and Reifenfiguren) so produced are an inherent part of Ore Mountain folk art
.
and painting.
The technique of Reifendrehen, which demands great experience and skill, emerged around 1800. It enabled, during the 19th century, the efficient mass production of wooden figures, because it was faster and cheaper than pure woodcarving by hand. Today part of the exhibition at the Ore Mountain Toy Museum in Seiffen
is dedicated to the craft of the turners - the Reifendreher - who make these toys. In addition, there are several visitor workshops in the region around Seiffen.
Ore Mountains
The Ore Mountains in Central Europe have formed a natural border between Saxony and Bohemia for many centuries. Today, the border between Germany and the Czech Republic runs just north of the main crest of the mountain range...
in the vicinity of the town of Seiffen and continues there to the present day. The process produces small animals and other figures or even little wooden houses in outline, that are used as toys or to decorate Christmas pyramids or Nativity scene
Nativity scene
A nativity scene, manger scene, krippe, crèche, or crib, is a depiction of the birth of Jesus as described in the gospels of Matthew and Luke...
s. The animals and figures (Reifentiere and Reifenfiguren) so produced are an inherent part of Ore Mountain folk art
Ore Mountain folk art
Ore Mountain folk art is a well-known form of highly artistic wood carving from East Germany. Typical creations include Christmas decorations and products such as wooden miners' figures , Christmas angels , Reifendrehen figures of animals made by wood turning, Räuchermann figures and Christmas...
.
Production
In the process known as Reifendrehen (literally "tyre turning") a suitable piece of wood, as far as possible free of splits, is worked on a special wood lathe to produce a wooden ring with a diameter of about 30 to 50 centimetres, the cross-section of which forms the outline of the desired figure. Small slices are then sawn off the ring. These are used as the raw material from which the finished figures are made by carvingCarving
- Arts :*Bone carving*Chip carving*Gourd carving or Gourd art*Ice carving or Ice sculpture*Ivory carving*Stone carving**Petroglyph*Vegetable carving*Wood carving- Others :*Data carving and/or file carving, two closely related data recovery techniques...
and painting.
The technique of Reifendrehen, which demands great experience and skill, emerged around 1800. It enabled, during the 19th century, the efficient mass production of wooden figures, because it was faster and cheaper than pure woodcarving by hand. Today part of the exhibition at the Ore Mountain Toy Museum in Seiffen
Ore Mountain Toy Museum, Seiffen
The Ore Mountain Toy Museum in Seiffen is an internationally known museum of Ore Mountain toys and Ore Mountain folk art. It was opened in 1953 in Seiffen...
is dedicated to the craft of the turners - the Reifendreher - who make these toys. In addition, there are several visitor workshops in the region around Seiffen.
Sources
- Hellmut Bilz: Seiffener Reifentiere. Herstellung, Gestaltung und Bedeutung. Series by the Ore Mountain Toy Museum, Seiffen 1987
- Hellmut Bilz: Das Reifendreherhandwerk im Spielwarengebiet Seiffen. Series by the Ore Mountain Toy Museum, Seiffen 1989
External links
- Das Phänomen des Reifentieres Information about Reifendrehen
- Reifendrehwerk Christian Werner Information about the Reifendrehen factory in the Ore Mountains at Seiffen