Stories

Tin figures 30 mm. Collection bellazinnfigur, drawing and engraving Franz Karl Mohr, painting Martin Lother, photo Dieter Beller, publisher Bernhard Bakat - Zinnfiguren aus Eschwege.

The long-lost form had been drawn and engraved by Franz Karl Mohr on behalf of Offizin Rackow. Since 2017, the beautiful figure has been available again from Bernhard Bakat. https://inzinn.de/00002.html

Mohr was perhaps inspired by the painting of the Antwerp painter Quentin Massys (1466-1530).

Tin figures 40 mm. Drawing Mike Taylor, engraving Daniel Lepeltier, painting Mike Taylor, editor Brian Keewood.

The historical model for the duchess was Magarete of Tyrol, born in 1318, the daughter of the Duke of Carinthia. Contrary to legend, she was not ugly, but very pretty.

In his novel "The Ugly Duchess Magarete Maultasch", published in 1923, Lion Feuchtwanger describes her historically incorrectly but linguistically ingeniously. "Above a plump body with short limbs sat a large misshapen head. The forehead was clear and pure, and the eyes looked intelligent, quick, judging, sensing; but under a small, broad, flat nose, the mouth protruded like an ape with enormous jaws and a bulging lower lip. The copper-coloured hair was hard, brittle, dull, without lustre, the skin chalky grey, pale, impure, limp. Margarete looked at herself in the mirror. She examined herself with bitter jest. Let me see! Eyes and forehead came on. The worst thing was the mouth, that overturned monkey mouth. Well, she had Carinthia for that. Then the sagging cheeks were a terrible evil. But wasn't it outweighed by the county of Tyrol? And the grey, blotchy complexion? Put Trent, Bressanone, Chur, Friuli on it. Is it not then smooth and pure?"