Porcelains

This Dollar Saved My Life at Whitehorse

This massive porcelain sculpture was created in a collaboration between Another Rainbow and Capodimonte in 1998. Donald and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie listen in as Uncle Scrooge tells his story, in this magnificent fine porcelain figurine.

The level of detail is incredible, as is the norm for Italian artist Enzo Arzenton, who followed Carl Barks’ painting faithfully. This item comes with two sets of edition numbers, that of the Italian firm Capodimonte (despite the 250 number, only 136 pieces were actually produced of which this is #90), and Another Rainbow, which issued 15 pieces.

The item rests on a wooden base, and is 31 cm tall by 40 cm wide by 31 cm deep. This piece is mint as issued and comes with the original storage/shipping box and includes the original certificate of authenticity plus quite a bit of porcelain documentation from the Laurenz Collection.

This is by far the largest and most lavish of all the officially released Carl Barks porcelains and would make for a stunning centerpiece in any Carl Barks collection.

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The Scrooge McDuck Midnight Egg by Carl Barks & Theo Faberge

This is something truly special and arguably one of the very finest Carl Barks collectibles ever produced and most certainly one of the most exclusive limited edition collectibles ever to be offered by Gallery Disneyana+.

Uncle Scrooge in the U.S. Treasury Building surrounded by an abundance of treasures. Only one team could have imagined this scene, and brought it to life using real gems: of course Carl Barks and Theo Faberge, grandson of Carl Faberge, the jeweler who produced ornate Easter gifts for the Russian tsars. Barks was ninety-one and Faberge was seventy and this was the first – and sadly also last time – they combined their talents to create a modern artwork in a traditional form. On the outside, the creation is wholly Theo Faberge’s. He has imagined the façade of the Treasury Building as an egg, its dome shining austerely under the night sky, its wings wrapped around to form a shell. Surmounting the dome is the Imperial Russian Crown that can be seen on some of his grandfather’s greatest creations.

It appears as well on nearly every egg in Theo Faberge’s acclaimed St.Petersburg Collection. Inside, the fantasy is by Barks: Scrooge at play in the Treasury, but executed with real treasures by a master jeweler. The fame of Faberge dates from 1870, when Carl Faberge took over his father’s business in St. Petersburg. Carl was a shrewd organizer, but it was his flair for creating what he called objects de fantaisie that put the family name on the map. Clocks, cuff links, even his umbrella handles were prized for their beauty and delicate use of enamels. Yet these rich trinkets pale beside the series of jeweled eggs he created for the Romanov tsars. Giving eggs at Easter dates back to the Middle Ages. The gift symbolizes new life at spring and new hope in the Resurrection. Jeweled eggs – often with candy inside – were a favorite with the aristocracy, and Tsar Alexander III wanted a very special present for his Danish tsarina. Carl Faberge created a white enameled egg with a golden yolk – and inside the yolk, a miniature hen of gold. So charmed was the tsar that he commissioned an egg a year after that; and when Nicholas II assumed the throne, he continued the tradition by presenting both his mother and his wife with an egg, each containing a surprise.

The fall of the Romanovs left Faberge’s son Nicholas stranded in London, where he had traveled to set up an overseas branch. His own son, Theo, founded a fresh business and made it prosper. Theo became a member of Britain’s Society of Ornamental Turners and a Freeman of the City of London. And he carried on the tradition begun with the Imperial eggs by issuing new creations in limited editions.

The McDuck Midnight Egg was intended to be the first in a series of five special commissions from the St. Petersburg Collection that would feature Uncle Scrooge, however, the other four never went into production.

The shell of the egg is made of crystal, delicate yet durable. Its dome lined with enameled lapis blue to suggest the midnight sky, is punctuated by seven gold stars representing the decades of Theo Faberge’s life. Below, the shell has been etched and hand-painted with 23-karat gold, the purest gold that can be fired onto crystal. Architectural forms evoke the stateliness of the Treasury Building and its egglike, contained quality. A flight of golden stairs leads to a landing flanked by ionic columns bearing up a triangular pediment. The entrance at the foot of the stairs is barred by a golden swag rope, for the Treasury is closed. But between the columns, we catch a glimpse of someone inside. The egg separates in the middle. Lift off the top, and there’s Uncle Scrooge luxuriating in a tub of gold coins. His body is silver; indeed, the whole sculpture is sterling silver – 92.5 percent pure. To show this, the rim is stamped with the standard mark of a lion pass ant. It also bears the emblem of Theo Faberge (TF), the mark of the assay office (an anchor denoting Birmingham), and a letter symbolizing the year it was made.

You will need a magnifying glass to see that, and to appreciate the detailing on the figure. Scrooge’s coat is enameled in red; his collar, cuffs, and spats are gray. His crown is plated in 24-karat gold, as are his beak, cane, tub, and the coins around him; different colors of gold give each a different luster. His body, textured to resemble feathers, is lacquered to prevent tarnish, while the urn behind him has intentionally been oxidized to a rich green, then protected with lacquer. Surrounding him are two amethysts, two sapphires, and seven rubies – that’s counting the stones that adorn the Imperial crown and the Sumerian one. No expense has been spared to make this egg a treasure-house in miniature. And in the tradition of the nicest Easter eggs, there’s a second surprise, a treasure within the treasure. Push back the rim of the urn, and you’ll find an extra cache of coins, ones the old miser has been saving for a rainy day.

The Scrooge McDuck Midnight Egg was made in London and intended to be limited worldwide to an edition of 250 individually numbered pieces. However, only 100 were ever produced and of those only 73 are in existence today, this egg being number 39 in the edition.

Each egg is etched on the bottom with Theo Faberge’s signature and the edition number. Barks’ signature, appropriately, is engraved on the base of the silver insert. In addition, the egg comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Fabergé. Egg and certificate are housed in a custom carrying case, made especially for the St. Petersburg Collection. Gold fabric and brass fittings outside hint at the riches within, while the lining of white velvet provides an elegant setting for displaying this beautiful piece of treasure.

These midnight eggs are rarely seen on the secondary market due to their scarce quantity and the demand is high as they cater to fans and collectors of Barks and Fabergé. They are an absolute must-have in all Barks and Fabergé collections.

This is the first time ever that Gallery Disneyana+ has been able to offer one of these sought-after gems and it may take years before we can offer one again, in particular a set like this in mint condition complete with box and certificate.

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Eureka, A Goose Egg Nugget

This exclusive porcelain figurine was the result of a collaboration between Carl Barks and the Italian sculptor Giuseppe Armani in 1997. The figurine is based on an oil painting of the same name. The figurine is mounted on a wooden base and measures approx. 14” (35 cm). It features a wealth of beautiful details which you can admire for hours and hours. A total of 3000 numbered figurines are listed to have been produced of which this is number 936. However, it is likely that less than 3000 figurines were ever finalized. This figurine  comes with two COAs, one of which is numbered and signed by both Barks and Armani. The figurine will be shipped in its original shipping box.

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