Reifentiere (ring animals)
The turned animals sawn from a ring of wood, a technique from Seiffen.
In Seiffen a ring of wood is turned so that a whole row of animals appears in profile when the ring is sawn across. The technique gives small animals in large numbers without carving them one by one.
Reifentiere belong to the Saxon toy tradition together with the nutcracker and the pyramid. The technique has been kept alive in Seiffen since the 19th century.
Materials: Turned and sawn wood (spruce), paint
Manufacture: Turned as a ring of wood in Seiffen, Erzgebirge, and then sawn into slices to make animal figures.
The animal’s profile that is part of a ring.
The turned, angular shape.
The painted, simple look.