segunda-feira, 29 de julho de 2013

Dwarfs of Lodz: the last pair at Pietrkowska

This post ends a chapter in this blog's life, this time dedicated to the iron cast dwarfs (krasnali) found in the city of Lodz, Poland. Those gate sculptures were produced in late XIX century to the beginning of XX century by the german Lodz based forgery owned by Otto Goldammer. At this time Lodz was living its hey day based on fabric factories and massive immigration, especially from jewish comunities. I could not find lots of information about the sculptures nor the producer, so much you read here must be taken under my assumption. I hope it can help others to continue and make it better research than I could.
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This said, the last pair of "krasnali" I show was very close to where I was hosted, very close to the most busy crossing of the city, at Ulica Pietrkowska and Al. Pilsudskiego. This is where the old and the new town merge, and probably my first memory of Lodz.
The pair stands in a building close to the right side of the Pietrkowska, and are probably the most revealing of the dwarfs I could find.
They are from what I call the "old style", because some of them have the year inscribed and none of this kind are from the XX century. There is another kind of dwarf that have more elaborated features produced at the beginning of XX century, so I call them the "modern style". Hopefully someone can make it clearer one day.
This particular pair of dwarves are apparently restored, painted in black and look very neat. There is the inscription "ROK" - which means year, but no date, as most of the dwarves. One of them - on the left have a missing part on the bottom, where it can be seem that the dwarves were filled with adobe inside.
The other sculpture - the one on the right side- have somehow a worse finishing where the plates of iron get welded, giving us a hint of how they were produced. This piece is also remarkable for being taller - they have a small base that most of others don't, and for showing clearly the ornaments and details where other fails to do. I would risk to tell they can be newer than other sculptures of dwarves, but i have no proof of that.











Komis dwarfs at Rzgowska 26 28

These iron dwarves stand at the gate of a Komis shop, former factory in south area of Pietrkowska.
those are not so far from the very preserved ones at the Fabric Museum.
they are from the new style, but in bad shape, rusty, no year visible and all kinds of marks of time.
the inscription "Lodz Otto Goldammer", typical from these krasnals is still preserved.
this one was the last one I visited in Lodz, in a cold winter morning, and one of my favourite in the memory. looking at the photos, it looks much worse than I remember.








dwarfs at the gate of Żeromskiego 46

one more pair of dwarves at Zeromskiego 46, neighbor to other pair.
"old style", no year or "ROK"word visible, rusty, facing the entrance - as most of them show their sides or stand diagonal to the street.
the sculpture seems complete, with legs and the whole side visible.













Lodz Iron Dwarfs: pair at Żeromskiego 42

Another pair of dwarves at Żeromskiego street: old style, no year visible, bad shape. Only the top and the front can be seem. 





Lone dwarf at Zeromskiego 12

the Zeromskiego Street is a parallel to Gdanska and have some dwarves too.
the one at number 12 is a single dwarf. the building looks old and the lone dwarf too.
it is form the old style, no year visible, rusty and in bad shape. the back side of the sculpture is visible.










domingo, 28 de julho de 2013

the "no" dwarfs at Więckowskiego 68

just a few blocks from the nice palaces area, there is a not so charming area where it would be supposed to have a pair - or at least one dwarf, but none could be found... :/
it is possible to see the space for the removed sculptures at the entrance of the gate.
they once were there as it can be seem at http://krasnolodzki.blogspot.com.br/search/label/Więckowskiego











gdanska 42

The other pair at Ulica Gdanska stands at the number 42, in a very nice building near the Art Museum Palac Poznanskiego. This is the area of palaces and nice buildings from the XIX century. They make that wealthy neighborhood even charmer.
Those are from the new kind and well preserved.