$16,000
Sold
sold
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Description
60" (152 cm.) l. x 11"w. base. 18" Reindeer. 16" Santa. Arranged upon the original wooden platform are four prancing reindeer pulling a wooden sleigh with Santa Claus. Each reindeer is of handcarved wood with grey painted coat highlighted by a carved underthroat of long fringed mane in shaded white color, has detachable carved wooden antlers, detailed carving of hooves, painted eyes, and decorated with original woven colorful harness and brass bells; each is mounted on a wooden mounting post. The reindeer are pulling a wooden sleigh in which Santa Claus is seated. Santa has solid domed wooden socket head with uniquely carved features including thick white brows and broad nose, and has original white mohair moustache and beard, and original Schoenhut wooden spring-jointed body with holes in feet for posing. He is wearing original costume comprising red flannel hooded jacket with faux-fur trim, black belt, blue cotton pants and black leather Schoenhut boots with holes in soles for posing, with hook in right hand for attaching reins, and has standard incised markings. Condition: generally excellent, some minor touch-up on reindeer, sleigh is not original. Comments: Schoenhut, the Santa Claus with four reindeer were presented in the 1914 Schoenhut catalog with the note, "These goods are not carried in stock and are made to order only". Only five sets are presently known to exist, several with standard Schoenhut head, and this set and one other having the highly-characterized rare head sculpted exclusively for the set by Schoenhut. Value Points: the extremely rare set is wonderfully-preserved and presented, an indication not only of the marketing outreach of the Schoenhut firm, but also its artistry and imagination.