One of my favourite pieces is a Harmony Kingdom multi-compartment box entitled 'Noah's Lark'.
Created by Peter Calvesbert in 1995, 'Noah's Lark' is home to 103 creatures including Noah who is seen sunbathing on the roof, watched by a pair of hungry vultures! A beaver is chomping on the shingles (elsewhere gophers have gnawed a hole in the side) while the lone frog is blissfully unaware that its companion is now inside the snake!
Meanwhile, inside the boat, Mrs Noah, Ham, Shem, Japhet and their wives are whiling away the time with a game of Monopoly...
It is, I think amazing how the Noah's Ark romance endures and toy arks remain solidly in vogue - even among those who probably wouldn't rate the Judeo-Christian story of 'The Flood' as anything other than myth.
Anyway, if - like me - you are a confirmed (or even a suspected) arkoholic - or just really miss the one you had when you were a tot - then there's good, if costly, news for you...
Gunther Keil's Wild Apples workshop ("Situated in the heart of New York State's Finger Lakes region." Where else?) has been creating wooden toys for more than 30 years and specializes in wooden animals and Noah's Arks using local hardwoods including cherry, oak and walnut.
This one's a mere $108...
Although the stand with the ramp to walk the animals up and down - "Hurry up tortoises, there are grumpy rhinos further back!" - is an extra $37!
This is the 'Play Ark', though at $195, play will probably require fairly stringent supervision...
And there is also this deluxe model - the 'Heirloom Ark', no less! - which comes in (or sails off) at $238...
To be fair, that price does include 20 pairs of animals and if that's not enough wildlife for you, you can always buy an additional nine pairs of animals (that, presumably, would have otherwise been left behind!) for another $40!
Finally, one of my regular blog-commenters, EUDORA, sent me this Noah's Ark cartoon showing the perils of taking a woodpecker on board!
The artist is unknown to me, but if he or she (or anyone else) can tell me, I will happily give credit where credit is due...
8 comments:
Love the arks!
Referring to the actual story, I read somewhere that the story of Noah is inspired by the adventures of Gilgamesh, written some time before Noah - 18th century BC!
GILL comments...
Love the arks!
I think the American prices are very reasonable if it is all hand carved.
One thing though; I have a hazy memory that the Flood myth is much more widely spread than Judaism and Christianity and appears in other religions/stories, and does so to the extent that people have looked for [and found] evidence of a great and very extensive flood. Have I made this up?
More on this tomorrow...
P.S. The unidentified picture sent by Eudora reminds me of stuff done by Mordillo ages ago. Do you think it could be one of his?
I thought there would have been a flood of comments on this Blog. Love the Calvesbert Ark.
SUZANNE - It could indeed be Mordillo, whose work I know and love.
Have you, perchance, encountered that particular ark who goes under the sobriquet, "Jean D'Arc"?
Suzanne and Brian, it`s look like Mordillo but I revise some of his works and the animals, (he use to draw a lot) are different... I`ll try to know who is th artist...
Mr. Weeks... you are terrible, don`t confuse the audience please...:);)
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