A pair of porcelain sparrows by Goebel, the Bavarian firm best known for producing Hummel figures. One looks down. One looks up. Together they read as a conversation.
Each is hand-painted in brown, cream, and blue-gray, with rust-red wing feathers under a high glaze. The feathers on the wings and tails are sculpted, not just painted.
They suit a windowsill, a stack of books, or a narrow shelf where one object would look lost. They're small enough to move around the house with the seasons.
They are two companion models from Goebel's sparrow series. The downward-looking sparrow, model CV 74, carries the Last Bee mark of the 1970s. The upward-looking sparrow, model CV 72, carries the earlier Stylized Bee mark of the 1960s. Both are marked W. Germany.
Condition: The upward-looking sparrow has a small chip on the base, shown in the photos and not visible when displayed. There are no cracks or repairs. Fine crazing in the glaze is most visible on the breast of the upward-looking bird and is typical of age. The paint is bright with no loss.
Dimensions: approximately 2.5 to 2.75 in. high and 4 to 4.25 in. long, each.
