Angel & Miner

Angel & Miner are the classical figures from the Erzgebirge and one of the oldest Christmas motifs known. Traditionally the daughter is given an angel and the son a miner. In former times both were placed together on the window sill.

In and around Seiffen, turning figurines of wood can be traced back to the 18th century. Originally, simple doll shapes were designed, which could but roughly depict body proportions. To compensate for that, clearer shapes were cut into the dolls or parts of the body were glued onto them so the final result received a native figure-like appearance. Owing to the manufacturing process, this has stayed the characteristic feature of the Seiffen toy figurines until the present day. Stearin candles coming up around 1850, the miner grew in importance as a light-bearing figure. To the miner, burning light was not just a necessary prerequisite to work in the dark, its warm shine meant a symbol of
life. The angle accompanying him goes back to the Nürnberg Christmas tree fairies and the dolls made by the wood turners. Woman-type angels showing a waistline and a neckline originate in the Biedermeier period after 1820, their wings of thin wood often being richly decorated or embellished with gold leaf.