About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

L if for LESLIE'S LLADRO


ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt and if you'd like to participate or just see the contributions of those who do, just click here and away you go.

We're already at the letter L, so I thought you might be interested in seeing some of my Lladró collection, most of which I inherited from my mother, who was a Lladró Society Member until her death in 2002. First of all, Lladró is Spanish porcelain. (By the way, a double L in Spanish is pronounced sort of like "yuh." So the word sounds like YADRO.)
This is a section from their website: "Juan, José and Vicente Lladró - Heirs of the ancient tradition of porcelain, the Lladró brothers knew how to make this tradition their own and to bring a type of art that, up to then, had been reserved to a few. In 1953, they quit their work at a tiles factory and built a little Moorish kiln in the courtyard of the family home. Their adventure began in Almàssera, a little town on the outskirts of the Spanish city of Valencia. And very near the place where they installed this first rudimentary workshop, is where The City of Porcelain stands today. Over two thousand people now work there, and their creations are exported to more than one hundred countries all around the world and sold in almost 4,000 points of sale."
The manufacturing ingredients are kept under tight guard. The process is detailed in a number of Lladró publications and is fully on view for tour groups and individuals at the City of Porcelain. Lladró figurines are made out of an original blend of hard-paste porcelain, which gives the products their unique porcelain characteristics. The glaze ingredients also add to the look of the figures and is an industry secret.
I hope you enjoy looking at part of my collection, and some day perhaps some of you might see them in person. The photos really don't do the pieces justice, of course. The intricacies of design and the facial expressions really need to be seen up close. If you'd like to, check out the Lladró website at http://www.lladro.com/

For me, each piece is special because of how I came to possess it. For example, the first piece (on the left) is one my mother brought me from Spain - the girl holding a lamb. The story behind it is that I was expecting my first daughter in 1976 while my parents were vacationing in Spain, and they weren't expected back until after my due date. But, I greeted them at the airport when they got back - they couldn't believe I still hadn't had the baby. But, the very next day, I went into labour (Oct. 29/76) and that Xmas my Mom presented me with this girl holding a lamb.
Another special piece is the girl holding the hat. This was one of the first pieces that Lladró made with colour. My husband knew how much I admired my Mom's collection and bought it for me - just because.
The pieces vary in size and detail but it's hard to tell in the photos. Be sure to click on them to see them in larger format.
I also have a 12-piece collection of Lladró Christmas balls and bells. Each one is from a certain year (only available to collectors like my mother) and is intricately designed with either a scene from nature or a Christmas story. They have already been allotted to my daughters but I'm keeping them until they have someplace to display them.


I have a few Japanese pieces, like the one on the left depicting a Japanese tea ceremony and the one on the right depicting two young geishas.


















These two very feminine pieces show a young girl holding her doll and another young girl with her puppy. On the right, can you see how her dress appears to be lace?



















These are the only pieces I have that are of boys. On the left is a little boy dressed as Balthazar, one of the three magi, or wisemen, offering a gift to the baby Jesus. On the right are two pieces of little boys depicting typical loves of baseball and trains. Whenever my grandson is over, he loves to look through the glass at these figurines. I think he likes the boy playing with the train the best.


















I've saved my favourites to the last. On the left is Cinderella, her shoe lost as she runs from the special ball the Prince had organised. It seems as though she's been caught in motion as her dress and hair blow in the wind. On the right is Carmen, holding a basket of the most intricately fashioned flowers, each one individually made like those in her hair.


















I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of my collection. Of course, being family heirlooms, they will be passed down to my daughters and my grandchildren. Please let me know if you have any Lladró and if there is a special story attached to it/them.

23 comments:

photowannabe said...

This is a beautiful collection Leslie. Its so special because it has so much meaning.
I have just one piece. Its Peter Pan holding a flute. I bought him at a Disneyana Convention and just love his soft colors and pixie looks.

Anonymous said...

Infortunately I don't have any.They are so beautiful and delicate. I'm sure you are proud of having them.

PERBS said...

I don't have any either so thanks for sharing them with us.

Anonymous said...

Oh what a wonderful collection of Lladro you own. How fun. The cinderella really is special and I see why it's one of your favorites...

peppylady (Dora) said...

All very nice pieces.

I'll have my abc up on the 8th.

Rinkly Rimes said...

My only connection Lladro was when my husband and I went to Norfolk Island for a holiday. A friend asked me to buy her Lladro ornaments from there because Norfolk Island is Duty Free. It was an awful worry getting them home! Yours look beautiful.

naturglede/Randi Lind said...

I love your post with the Lladrocollection. They are so beautiful. I have one my self, it is an angel. It was standing on a table on a marked in Denmark many years ago.I fall in love with it, but it was expensive. But in the last minutes of the day, I got a good price. I love my figur because it inspires me to make figures myself of clay. I know how much work it is to make one from the start now. Take good care of your Iladroes.

Rune Eide said...

This must be a very valuable collection, but most important - a very beautiful one. Well worth vising Spain for (in addition to all the other good reasons)!

Liz Hinds said...

I can see why they are your favourites.

Thank you for telling us how to pronounce the name too!

Anonymous said...

Lovely figurines.

Cath said...

Oh wow Leslie these are exquisite! Such wonderful detail and so dear to you. I love the one your husband bought you - girl with the hat - I like the simplicity of it. I also love the one of the girl with the puppy - the detail on her lace dress is just out of this world.

Great L. Thank you.

Nydia said...

That's amazing, Leslie! Such delicate pieces, I'd be afraid of touching them! The details are so beautiful, like the flowers... It's really a wonderful heirloom to pass on your daughters. I don't have any at home, unfortunately!

Kisses from Nydia.

Bear Naked said...

Leslie your LLadro collection is Lovely.
And a double L for ABC Wednesday.
Aren't you Lucky!

Bear((( )))

Unknown said...

Wonderful L post, Leslie!

Michele said...

Gosh, I don't think I have heard of this collection but then, I don't collect too much of anything for the mere fact that I have moved so much that I couldn't bear collecting anything so fragile as packing it would be surely broken in all the moves... what a stunning collection you have... they are beautiful. I'm glad you shared these with us.

I hope you are doing well, Leslie.
~Michele~

Jay said...

I don't have any Lladro, but I recognise the style and I know I have seen some in the shops here. It's very elegant and beautiful - especially the ones in greys and white. The Cinderella is beautiful, too.

I collect pressed glass, so I know about the collecting thing! Mine is no way heirloom quality though.

antigoni said...

Beautiful post and the pictures are great.

Anonymous said...

Cool!

L IS FOR LOVABLE, at THE MANE POINT

Lilli & Nevada said...

Lesley, these are beautiful and love the history of them as well

sally in norfolk said...

I love collecting things but have nothing on the go at the moment... for years i collected first day cover stamps just to satisfy my desire to collect something.

your collection is beautiful :-)

Dragonstar said...

These are beautiful! I don't know why I haven't heard of them. I must keep my eyes open and see what I can find.

Rune Eide said...

Me again - it was 27 degrees C... Maybe the wind was a bit too much for him standing there all day.

Digital Polaroids said...

Leslie, you have a wonderful and delicate collection.