This oddly-titled post is in response to a perfectly logical question posed to me some time ago, which was: "If you have posts about Cybis sculptures that include crowns, or hats, or other specific elements, why not write about the figures that have weapons?" To be honest, the thought had never occurred to me but [...]
‘Commemorative’ Editions by Cybis: What, When, and Why
From time to time, when perusing any price lists, brochures or catalogs issued by Cybis, one is apt to come across the Collection category of Commemorative. What exactly were those, and what was their inspiration? The studio used the word ‘commemorative’ somewhat loosely, but the vast majority of them were standard retail editions. They were [...]
A Timeline of the Lives of Boleslaw and Marja Cybis, 1895-1958
Although several disparate sources have described specific events in the life of Boleslaw Cybis either in print or online, this is the first time that a complete and detailed single timeline has been available online. I have constructed it from multiple sources in Poland and in the USA. 1895 – We begin with a discrepancy [...]
Cybis Artist Profile: Susan Clark Eaton
Even if you are familiar with the limited-edition Cybis carousel pieces, you might not know who created almost all of them: artist Susan Clark Eaton. Sue first attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art before going on to college. She joined the studio in the late 1960s, originally as an in-house artist, but in 1971 [...]
How to Properly Pack Porcelain Figurines
Few things are more disheartening than to see a lovely porcelain sculpture emerge from its shipping or 'moving' box with breakage. Whether you are sending, receiving, or simply moving such an item from one residence to another, there is plenty of how-to packing information on the internet. The problem is that some of it is [...]
How to Clean Porcelain Figurines
The fragility of fine porcelain figurines is certainly part of their beauty, but that same attribute can make them tricky to clean, if and when that’s needed. In reality it’s ‘when’ rather than ‘if’, because one of the Great Mysteries of Everyday Life is how something can get so incredibly dusty even though kept inside [...]
The Art of Making Art Porcelain
As a former collector I can't help wincing when I see a Cybis sculpture selling on eBay for a fraction of what its retail price was when originally made. After all, that was a few decades ago and isn't art supposed to appreciate in value over time? The economy has changed, of course – we're [...]
And the Award for the Most-Often-Damaged Cybis Goes To….
Although the typical ‘awards season’ is still another month or so away, some things never really change – such as those particularly fragile areas on certain Cybis porcelain sculptures that are distressingly prone to damage. Whether the breakage happens from a not-100%-careful picking up in order to dust the cabinet shelf (I have been guilty [...]
The Life and Death of the Art Porcelain Industry
‘Art porcelain’ is the term often used to refer to what many people call “porcelain sculptures.” The term “porcelain figurine” is sometimes used, but it’s too broad because it encompasses items such as the Hummel child figurines which are not regarded as ‘art porcelain.’ The history of the art porcelain market is useful when trying [...]
Cybis ‘Circuses & Carousels’ Exhibit at the MAPA
Two of the most popular genre collections from the Cybis studio are the subject of a special exhibit at the Museum of American Porcelain Art in Ohio. The exhibit, titled Circuses & Carousels, is housed – most fittingly – in a room whose construction evokes the inside of a circus tent and/or the top canopy [...]
THE CYBIS ARCHIVE 