New in the Cybis Archive

Because this website is often updated with new information, photos and items added to existing posts, it is useful to have a ‘signpost’ alerting readers to where such newly-added content is located. Hence this page showing “what’s new in the Cybis Archive.”

This page is updated at the end of each month. The link to the cited post, or to the post in which the cited new item appears, will open in a new tab.

A link to this what’s-new page appears below the website header and also (on desktop/laptop displays) in the right sidebar under “Pages.” On mobile displays that sidebar section is located at the bottom of the main page, below the Older Posts button.

New content added to existing Cybis Archive posts

April 2022:

  • About two dozen sculptures in various genres had their issue year pinpointed and their issue price added to their Archive descriptions. Most were introduced during the late 1980s or early 1990s.
  • The Classical Impressions post was updated with new information about several pieces.
  • The Introduction Years post got a significant upgrade, thanks to the acquisition of some 1990s price lists.
  • The Design Number List had new entries/identifications added as well.

March 2022:

February 2022:

  • The reason for the extremely lifelike appearance of the possibly-one-of-a-kind Girl Riding on a Turtle is now known.
  • The true origin story of the Head of Boy and Head of Girl has finally come to light (new section at bottom of this post.)
  • The Hall of Shame now contains a new colorway of the Scarf-Madonna-with-Bird knockoff.

January 2022:

  • I have revised my original opinion of one of the selling-your-Cybis venues within the post on that subject
  • The Gifts of State post has been updated with two new ‘occasions.’
  • Two additional views of the Blush Orchid were added in order to show its unusual orientation.
  • Two new colorway photos of the 1950s American Eagle were added.
  • Finally, photos of the second Hall of Fame version of Liberty (a/k/a Liberty III) have surfaced!
  • We can now see the Angelic Orchestra‘s Guitarist rockin’ out in papka, as well as their original retail price.
  • A 1944 trade magazine photo shows several very early Cybis candle holders.
  • The creator of the 7-ft-tall wood Phoenix that graced the Norman Avenue studio‘s lobby has been identified.
  • A new name was added to the Honor Roll.
  • The saga of the ultimate fate of the Cybis studio building continues….

December 2021:

  • The following pieces have updated information about their introduction or retirement year and/or retail prices: Eskimo Mother; child busts Jeremy, Jessica, and Lotus Blossom; Cinderella at the Ball; Cybele; Lisa and Lynette; circus animals Dandy the Dancing Dog and seal Sebastian; the Carousel Goat; Autumn Dogwood with Chickadees; the Pink Parfait and Yellow Condesa roses; Pansies ‘Crinoline Lady’ and the White Clematis; and the 1980 Cybis logo dealer display plaque.
  • Whose actual signature was the very first Cybis signature stamp taken from? Find out in the updated Signatures and Marks post!
  • The Decorative Eggs post contains an unusual ‘holiday surprise’ egg from the late 1940s, and the creator of the 1983-1986 Annual Eggs is identified.
  • Go Into the Woods to see four special sample designs for the Deer Mouse, and to find out who created the limited edition Deer in Motion group.
  • The elusive 1950s Walking Madonna has been found!
  • A pair of newfound 1950s baby chickadees has flown into the Early Birds post, which also shows painted examples of the American Eagle from the same time period.
  • Finally: a color photo of the Blush Orchid, and it raises a question as well as answers one.
  • A Cypia-tonation version of one of the 1950s angels has been found, but it bears an unexpected design number. In the same post, we can now see the plain white bisque version of the 1980s angel Annunciation.
  • An Elephant that was presented to President Gerald Ford in 1977 has quite a busy backstory.
  • Harry Burger’s artist profile was updated with two 1950s pieces just discovered to have been designed by him.
  • My profile of Marja Cybis now contains a newfound photo of her at the 1940 studio in Queens, NY.
  • See photos of the four circa-1950s miniature porcelain baskets that were displayed in the 1970 museum exhibit Cybis in Retrospect.
  • A Jesus-bust boudoir lamp has been installed in the Hall of Shame.
  • Why was a special Court Jester recently tossed into a trash bin in Europe?
  • An artist’s proof of the Commemorative Chess Set was auctioned off for charity in 1986, and brought a ‘reality-check’ hammer price.
  • With the addition of a photo of the Crucifixion model, all four 1950s holy water fonts are now shown in the Religious Items post. Also, don’t miss the newfound photo of Saint Theresa because you’ll never guess who designed her (well, maybe you will, but take a look anyway.)
  • The Jesus post also shows the smaller of two Crucifixion Scene plaques from the 1950s.
  • If you’ve ever wondered about the chronology of the Cordey China Company’s logo, you can now find the answer here.
  • Two circa-1940s vases were discovered, and one of them is just downright weird.
  • A photo has been added to the Mercer County Community College Collection post, as well as a new detail about the elusive catalog that was issued at its dedication.
  • The August 2021 post showing the white bisque versions of Cybis sculptures has been restructured to make it easier to read, and additional examples were added.
  • New information was added to the Gifts of State post regarding pieces of Cybis that were given to foreign leaders during the Lyndon Johnson (1960s) and Gerald Ford (1970s) administrations.
  • The name, year, and edition size of the special blue gallery-event Melissa has been discovered.

November 2021:

  • We now have new insight into the origin of the 1950s Great Horned Owl and a truly unusual one-time use for it!
  • A photo of (one of) the white bisque 1960s Goldfinch versions was added.

October 2021:

September 2021:

  • Cybis used a decal-logo at least three times in its history; find out when and on what pieces these appear, in the Backstamp Decals section of Signatures and Marks.
  • Two unusually-decorated 1950s seated madonna and child versions turned up.
  • See which are considered ‘good’ and ‘bad’ hand positions on Pollyanna.
  • More differences between the three versions of Alice in Wonderland are illustrated.
  • The post discussing current market values has been updated with a 2021-relevant FYI.
  • Two possible color versions of Sir Henry‘s scabbard are shown. Which one do you have?

August 2021:

July 2021:

June 2021: No additions (it was just one of those months….)

May 2021:

  • The post about the series of Polish Historical Dress lithographs has been significantly revised with new information.
  • Interesting background about the circa-1940 painting ‘Time’ has been added to the Paintings, Part One post.
  • 1950s Cybis pieces with offshore-made elements?? Find out what they were in the 1950s Madonna Busts post!
  • A link to an excellent YouTube video about variations in Cybis porcelain has been added to the Variations post
  • A piece from the 2019 studio liquidation, formerly dubbed “1950s mystery saint”, has now been identified and promoted to a 1950s full figure madonna. She’s the one with the odd headgear…
  • The post delving into Cree ‘Magic Boy’ received new and corrected information.
  • The Archive now contains a six-post section showing original drawings and paintings by Boleslaw Cybis. Any newfound examples will be added to the appropriate post, and cited as a New item in this monthly update.
  • All posts and pages in the Archive now contain a link to the Visual Index of Cybis human figures and busts. Thanks for your patience!

April 2021:

  • The Hall of Fame post has been revamped with updated and additional photos.
  • The 1950s dancing angel turns out to have had a ‘twin sister’ at the Boehm studio during that same time period!
  • Better photos of Dawn have been uploaded.
  • A photo of the smallest Pope bust in “tone on tone” has been added.
  • Several more examples of Cybis-marked items in Cordey style have been added to the post discussing such pieces.

March 2021:

February 2021:

  • Decoration variants on the first (1950s) Holy Child of Prague are illustrated.
  • At least two pink (alternate colorway) examples of the Little Angel are now known.
  • A newly-discovered Saint Jude has joined the band of known 1950s Cybis saints.

January 2021: no additions

December 2020:

November 2020:

  • A Bull ‘God of the Thunderbolt’ with gold-decorated horns (probably a OOAK) was discovered.
  • See the Horses post for a photo of Nashua in his original Cybis vitrine, and also the Appaloosa Colt‘s original design with velvet-topped wood base.
  • Want to see what the original (brunette) Little Red Riding Hood looked like? Check out the fairy tales post.
  • A name was added to the Honor Roll.
  • A Baby Swan variation with a rose and lace ribbon was discovered.
  • A newfound 1950s Madonna and Child bas-relief now resides among the madonna busts.
  • A color photo of the original 1930 Bolesaw Cybis painting Nativity at Lowicz can now be seen in the post showing the 1980s porcelain inspired by it.
  • The Cybis short film Porcelain Enchantments can now be viewed online! See the Films post for my review and a link to its location.

October 2020:

  • The four iterations of the Mystical Rose/Our Lady of Lourdes mold(s) have finally been sorted out with clarity.
  • Two names were added to the Honor Roll.
  • Two 1950s “choir children” have been found; did Cybis make only those, or the entire set?
  • All of the madonna busts and torsos from the 1950s were spun off into their own separate post. The 1950s full-figure madonnas are found in their original post. (All 1960-forward madonnas, of all types, remain in their own post.)
  • A photo of one of the two straw-hatted bunnies has been found.
  • The Archive now includes a photo of Cybis’ Saint Philomena, and two good color photos of the holy water font ‘Our Lady of Grace’. Both are in the Religious Items post.
  • Information about the Carousel II (Carousella) set has been updated.
  • Several new Design Numbers were added to the list.
  • The 1950s-birds aviary received two newfound residents, who also flew into the Body Snatchers post.
  • Two major cultural design errors have come to light about the “Polish Bride” sculpture.
  • The chronology of the two almost-identical but separate madonna issues Mother of Love and Mother With Baby has been sorted out.
  • The full history of The First Christmas (the 1980s nativity set) issues is now presented chronologically.
  • The original creator (it wasn’t Cybis) of the Sun of Justice is identified; and what is the story behind some Jesus figures having green hair?

September 2020:

  • The studio made an embarassing basic-math error regarding the edition size of Columbia.
  • A photo of Joseph Chorlton with the original 1930s Boleslaw Cybis painting of The [Polish] Bride was discovered.
  • More design numbers were added to the Master List.
  • Something wholly unexpected: a Cordey display sign in the Cybis “Cypia tonation” finish.
  • Thanks to a helpful reader, we now know of a third Cordey Christmas tree.
  • The elusive 1950s Palm Warbler has finally been “caught” in photos.
  • A second early Baby Owl in Cypia tonation was found.
  • A fourth Cybis Infant/Child of Prague design has come to light.
  • The Jesus Figures post received several newfound Sacred Heart pieces and more photos of several already known (Ecce Homo, Sun of Justice, infant in manger, and crucifixes.)
  • The Early Madonnas post likewise has several new figures, new photos, and an important identification/name correction of two sculptures.
  • The Religous Items post also follows suit with a new size of the Oremus Hands, updated photos and information on Saint Patrick, and a newfound Saint Joseph.

August 2020:

  • Alteration alert: A Humpback Whale with problematic seabirds
  • A more detailed edition-size history was added for Flight into Egypt.
  • The inconsistent height of various examples of Bathsheba was pointed out
  • There are now better photos of the Young Brave.
  • The elusive second Hall of Fame replica Persephone (“Persephone III“) can now be seen.
  • Additional photos and price information about the Cerulean Warbler were added.
  • Another step in the history of the 1990s Cherub Ornament was accidentally found
  • A group of 1950s pieces showing comparative gradations of Cypia tonation was added.
  • Four additional females joined the original “Bonnet Girls” lineup.
  • A Sleeping Beauty demonstrates what many of the later human pieces looked like in their ‘overall airbrushed’ early stage.

July 2020:

June 2020:

  • The probable issue date for the event-piece Hippo with Butterfly has been deduced.
  • A never-before-seen OOAK pink lily with a metal(?) component is now at the end of the Flowers post.
  • New information and images were added to the Chess Set post.
  • The original post about the Flower Bouquet of the United States was replaced by a new and expanded Archive post that contains a mystery or two.
  • Addtional photographs of, and clearer explanatory text regarding, the 1960s Holy Child/Infant of Prague were added.

May 2020:

April 2020:

  • The elusive Hall of Fame Rapunzel has finally been found.
  • A somewhat puzzling full-color 1977 Cybis print ad was discovered.
  • An additional female Folk Toy joined the group.
  • The Religious Items post received two new ‘prayer’ items and a mysterious boy with cross.
  • Five new early angels joined the flight, including another adorable baby in an angel costume.
  • One of the largest and most impressive 1950s madonnas found to date was added to the Early Madonnas post.
  • The early-Cybis-giftware category now has two newfound vases and a pair of candleholders, all in the rococo Cordey style although signed Cybis.
  • Major production goof, or later replacement? An odd un-titled Columbia now poses that question.

March 2020:

February 2020:

  • The creation year of the unreleased Seagull was found to be 1970.
  • A gallery-event-edition Wendy carrying flowers has been added.
  • Several newfound 1950s madonnas were added.
  • Just for fun, check out the 1980s brass versions of two circa-1950s Cybis pieces!
  • A short additional section, “Tricky Teens”, was appended to the Children to Cherish post.
  • The differences between two 1950s Saint Joseph figures are shown and discussed.
  • The design number list was updated.
  • A weirdly-colored version of one of Cybis’ two “royal rabbits” can be seen in the Bunnies post.

January 2020:

December 2019:

November 2019:

  • The Wedding post now contains a photo of the Bridesmaid, an alternate colorway of the Bridegroom, and a never-released bride figure.
  • Photos of the final Cybis holiday ornaments (Partridge Ball Ornament and Millennium Ornament) were discovered.
  • The Gifts of State post now shows the Presidential Seal medallion that Cybis utilized.
  • Three newfound items were added to the Flowers post.
  • The Angels contingent contains almost a half dozen new members.
  • The Patriotic post now includes four unreleased experimental pieces.
  • New small ring/trinket boxes, as well as a pair of short candlesticks and several unreleased paperweights, are now among the Giftware items.
  • An experimental dish/bowl featuring Neptune and dolphins was found.
  • A lion head plaque and a tree plaque were added to Plaques and Plates.
  • New unreleased animals include a zebra, bison, and lion as well as a charming 1940s Foo Dog.
  • A never-released Nude with Plinth can be seen among the Classical Impressions.
  • An unidentified female saint was added to the Religious Items post; any suggestions for her possible identity are welcome! Also added was a leftover, unfinished 1964 Saint Peter.
  • A surprisingly early (probably 1950s) Child Bust has been discovered, as well as a female version of the Eskimo Child bust.
  • Good photos have finally been found of the Nativity Angel III as well as the Cocker Spaniel.
  • Two more instances of early-1960s branch-snatching have come to light involving birds and flowers, plus a double body-part snatch done to create a new angel in the early 2000s.
  • An unexpected 1950s bird flew into the Cypia ‘coop’ as well as a Cypia example of their first eagle; both also alighted in the Early Birds post. The Later Birds post now shows alternate colorways of two other eagles plus an unreleased Seagull. The Owls post also received a small never-released Screech Owl.
  • Several newfound items were added to 1940s Papka and Porcelain, including a truly odd adaptation of an Infant of Prague and multiple interpretations of the Beaked Bird Head.
  • The Archive now contains color photos of Mirror of Justice and Mater Dolorosa, as well as Sun of Justice and Ecce Homo.
  • The Ryder Cup now has a companion Ryder Heart Box.
  • We now know what the elusive early-1960s reclining figure Ilona looks like.
  • The Horses post received quite a number of new additions: a good photo (at last!) of the Pony and Children, a glazed version of Black Beauty, several newfound 1940s horses, and a never-released girl on pony and rocking horses from the 1980s.
  • Experimental/OOAK/additional versions of the following pieces were added to their respective Archive posts: the 1984 Annual Egg and Egg Vase with Eagle Lid; Camille; Christ Child with Lamb; madonnas Mother Most Admirable and Queen of Angels; Comanche Indian head medallion; the children Little Heart, Andy, David the Shepherd Boy, First Flight, and Lisa and Lynette; the Swimmer; ballerinas Curtain Call and The Enchanted Princess Aurora; Eros and Psyche; Hamlet; Richard the Lionheart; the flower studies Clematis with House Wren, Dahlia, Pansy and Magnolia; bunnies Bon Bon and Heartfelt; the small Bear, a pair of Bear Cubs, and the bull Taurus; Bathsheba; the Cerulean Warbler; and two of the elephants.

October 2019:

September 2019:

August 2019:

July 2019:

June 2019:

May 2019:

April 2019: no additions

March 2019:

  • Better photos of the circa-1990s Little Chick and Baby Duckling joined the Later Birds flock.

February 2019:

January 2019:

December 2018:

November 2018:

  • Much new and updated information about the original and second versions of the Condesa Rose.
  • All Jesus figures and crucifixes were removed from the Religious items overview and given their own post.
  • New photos and information added about the Pope John Paul II issues.

October 2018:

  • The Giftware post now contains an additional and better photograph of the circa 1950s Heart Box (Small).
  • A charming small Praying Nun now resides in the Religious Items post.

September 2018:

July 2018:

  • A 1940 photo incorrectly identified as being Marja Cybis was moved to the Marylin Chorlton post.
  • An example appoximating the appearance of the rare white bisque Wood Wren with Dogwood was added.

June 2018:

  • Two artisan names were added to the Honor Roll.
  • The name of the company that produced the Cybis short films was discovered.
  • Additional pictures of the Knight in Shining Armor were added, as well as edition information.
  • Information about the very first Cybis mermaid is now in All at Sea.
  • A newfound Baby Lamb joined the Menagerie.
  • An unusual red-haired, alternate-colorway Rapunzel was discovered.
  • The discovery of a 1963 price list resulted in a number of updates to prices and production years, especially for the Religious figures, and an updated Publications post as well.

May 2018:

April 2018:

March 2018:

February 2018:

  • Another Columbia title was added to the ever-(but slowly)growing list.
  • A new example of “body snatching” was added.
  • The Madonna with Bird was discovered to be a Holland Mold Company design; several posts were updated to reflect this information.
  • A small vermeil Cybis phoenix brooch was added to Cybis Display Signs.
  • The site was upgraded to remove all advertising.

January 2018:

  • A photo of an original Boleslaw Cybis conte drawing (not a lithograph) was added to the Folio One post.
  • Two additional instances of Body Snatching were discovered.
  • A photo of the actual chess set brought by President Nixon to Russia, complete with case, was added to the Chess Set post.

December 2017:

  • An excellent photo of The Stable was added to the 1980s Nativity Set post.
  • It was discovered that a small 1950s angel was originally one of a boy/girl pair of commercial molds; a photo of the commercially available set was added to the Angels post.
  • An unusual Mr. Snowball was discovered.
  • An historical anecdote about the Burro ‘Fitzgerald’ was added to his description.
  • A special one of a kind Abigail Adams is described.
  • The list of Gifts of State sculptures brought by President Gerald Ford on his 1975 European tour has been expanded.

November 2017:

October 2017:

  • The acquisition of three 1990s price lists resulted in the addition of Cybis retail price information and introduction/retirement dates to almost 200 sculptures throughout the site. Posts containing especially large numbers of updated items include the bunnies, the 1980s nativity set, the angels, the later madonnas, and the Hall of Fame series as a group.
  • Images of, and details about, those three 1990s price lists were added to the Publications post at the end of October.
  • Extensive updating of edition information, including one newfound design, was also done to the Classical Impressions post.

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The Cybis Archive is a continually-updated website that provides the most comprehensive range of information about Cybis within a single source. It is not and never has been part of the Cybis Porcelain studio, which is no longer in business.