The Large Coloured Chalet Animal Figurines
This article was so fun to put together – the forms are fantastic and the colours are spectacular. I am not going to put a lot of words around them - just make a few quick comments here and there.
The opening comment being being that these are not common Chalet forms.
And next, that there is a significant size difference between these and the smaller Chalet animals as seen in Chalet’s “Canadiana Wildlife” line or some of the avventurina and opaline figurines from the “Boutique Collection.”
The clear cat (middle) is 6” tall, the blue and silver (left) tops 8” and the opaline stands 7” in height. Coloured cats from the collection of group member Troy Danby. Clear figurines from the collection of Deborah Patterson. For more Chalet cat figurines, please see this article.
5” to the tip of the bill of the clear goose and the bill of the olive figurine is over 7”.
My third observation is that they, to date, have been found only with Chalet company branding - etched “Chalet Canada”, and with 2 different stickers and a hang tag.
These figurines are also from the collection of Troy Danby.
And a fourth – that the majority of these figurines are multi-coloured with 2-tone colour combinations being the norm. A few opaline and two with silver and gold inclusions. So, let’s see them!
Starting with the cats:
One of the coloured opaline. And again, owned by Troy Danby.
An amazing footed duck:
Believe it or not – Troy also owns this figurine.
A fantastic pedestal-mounted fish:
As well as retaining the big, black Chalet label, this piece also is etched with the Eaton’s branding. Photograph courtesy of Chalet Vintage Art Glass Gallery.
Sculptural fish in 3 distinct sizes and different 2-tone combinations:
These fish swim in the aquarium cleaned by Bob Burgess.
Photographs in gallery taken by Sabrina Brunetti.
Another of the largest sized fish sculptures.
Once more from the collection of Mr. Danby.
A medium sized in yet another different 2-tone colour combination:
As is this figurine.
And the smallest of these, typically 8-9”, in a fifth 2-tone!
From the collection of Jo Highland.
Note that two of the fish in this glorious school show a sixth 2-tone colour combination! See the two lowest in the lower portion of this photograph. From Troy Danby:
Some glorious Chalet geese:
From the collection of Lisa Han Xiachong.
Photograph courtesy of Liz Albano.
Now for the roosters. The larger come in several different 2 tones, in 2 poses and in a glorious opaline with colour:
This is the only “resting on chest” rooster figurine of which I am aware:
Another Troy Danby special special!
This is the more frequently seen rooster figurine style.
From the collection of Diane Smith.
In other 2-tones:
Roosters at left and right – they nest in Troy Danby’s coop. Middle figurine from the collection of Shelley Fracalossi.
And an opaline with colour:
Another that crows from the amazing bachelor flock of Troy Danby.
A pedestal-mounted fantail songbird from the collection of the Cornwall Community Museum:
And talk about “7 swans a swimming.”
This piece weighs over 2 pounds. Etched “Chalet Canada.” Photographs – Deborah Patterson
This second style, orange and olive figurine, is a bit smaller overall than the one above.
Note that at where the bird would sit in the water as it swam, there is a colour change.
It is also signed. Photograph courtesy of Deborah Patterson.
A second colour combination in this design.
Troy Danby also owns this fabulous piece.
Another style, the third, but same owner:
A fourth:
A more ornate figurine. The head crest and beak are filled with gold dust. It can be found swimming in Cindy Bishop-Laughlin’s pond.
As can this figurine of a fifth style:
Very unusual colouring.
Style 6:
You will see variation in the curve of the neck – some figurines have a neck pulled further back and closer to its breast while others have a more elongated upward stretch. From the collection of Troy Danby.
Troy Danby finishes with #7:
Did any of the other Canadian glasshouses of that era do large and/or multi-coloured animal figurines? Yes.
Lorraine Glass Industries produced a similar large and 2-tone coloured duck figurine. We have discovered it in two different colour combinations:
The “id tells’ here are the eyes and beak. The Lorraine piece has coloured applied eyes while the Chalet figurine eyes are tonged (indented) and clear. The bill is coloured while the bills of the both the Chalet ducks and swans are clear.
From the collections of Cindy Bishop-Laughlin (left) and Bob Burgess (right).
Large bird figurines were a passion of EDAG Maestro Danilo Pavanello. Just 2 examples:
I covet this incredible pair in Cindy Bishop-Laughlin’s collection.
And this stunner belongs to collector Kim Tersteeg.
Continental Glass Manufacturing Ltd:
From the collection of Brad McGillivray.
It is shown in this Christmas message in the December 4, 1968 edition of the Calgary Herald (division of the Postmedia Network).
We are very fortunate to have beauty such as this “Colour Our Worlds.”
