Italian
Marketplace was made from a vintage
chromolitho art print featuring a beautiful lady
and small child, perhaps her daughter, selling
fruits and vegetables at the marketplce. It is
full of color and detail. You can see Cathedral
buildings and gondolas in the background. I
purchased this print at auction. This is an original
print from the 1920's and not a new
reproduction. There is no artist signature that I
can see. In the lower left hand corner beneath
the print (on the part I trimmed away) it read Made
in Germany. Similarly, in the lower right
hand corner, read P.U.E. 9619. All this
I had trimmed away because it occurred outside
the border. This antique print has been mounted
with acid-free adhesive. The puzzle is
rectangular and measures 14 1/2" X
19 1/2". There is an average of 2.2
pieces per square inch. Puzzle has been
cut from 1/4" 5-ply Finland Birch using the
finest blades available with a thickness of just
0.008! (I went through 50 blades cutting this
puzzle!)
There are sixteen
figurals, including my "Key"
signature piece.
(It took me 6 hours just to design the figurals
for this puzzle!)
• Cathedral Dome *
• Musical Note
• Mandolin *
• Wineglass
• Apple
• Pear
• Key
• Fish
• Italy
• Ravioli
• Gondola
• Gladiator
• Pinocchio
• Grape Leaf
• Man Pushing Cart
• Leaning Tower of Pisa
(The back of the Key is
signed, numbered, and dated.)
Of these16 figurals, two are composed of 3 pieces
each (see asterisks)
A few additional
notes regarding these special figural pieces, all
of which are connected to Italy! Most are self-explanatory.
The gladiator represents the famous Coliseum. The
mandolin originated in Italy in the 17th century,
as did the story of Pinocchio in the 19th century.
Fruits from the marketplace are present, as well
as a man pushing his cart (which could very well
be filled with more produce to replenish his
wife's fruit stand). I tried to place figurals
according to color or proper location. The Italy
figural is made up of its country's colors (green,
white and red) and is appropriately located
inside the flag of Italy! Note the little green
leaf on the red apple and the realistic
appearance of the Ravioli and Grape Leaf; there
is even "blood" on the sword of the
gladiator. The gondola is the only figural that
is part of the print itself, and I cut around its
outline. A lot of thought and effort went into
this puzzle! This is my first puzzle with so many
figural pieces and also my first "large"
size puzzle... Suggestions or comments welcome!
The photo below shows all
the pieces. This was taken after I disassembled
it but before counting! They pretty much took up
the entire card table. My card table measures
over 33" square so be sure to have plenty of
room before attempting to work this one!
Style is mixed
with primarily knobby cut pieces, with
swirlies mixed in evenly throughout. I would like
to note a few things about this puzzle that may
or may not be of consequence to buyers... One is
that I noticed when I put the puzzle together as
it was being cut, and again as I disassembled it,
that some of the pieces only fit in one way. I'm
not sure why; none of my other puzzles are like
this. The antique print was thicker than usual so
maybe that had something to do with it. The other
thing is a few minor specks in the surface of the
print have flaked off as it was cut. One speck
flaked off at edge of the key, another in a flag
piece (this spot was larger and I repaired it
with enamel paint & a toothpick and now it
does not show) and another in a leg piece (lady's
right leg). Another minor one occurs at the tip
of the leaf on the apple and can be seen in photo
above. These minor specks don't really detract
from the overall beauty of this puzzle, but I try
to mention everything I can about each puzzle in
case it matters to somebody else. Here are a few
closeups of some pieces at random:
Pieces stacked and counted:
Puzzle comes with
the beautiful wood box with sliding
lid shown below. I purchased this box new,
stained the outside with "colonial maple"
stain, and gave it three coats of varnish. The
inside is left unfinished. I believe this is
basswood. My label is affixed to the outside of
the box with the puzzle title, number, and piece
count. The box measures 7 1/4" X 10 1/2"
X 5" high.
.
Note:
This puzzle contains small pieces which may
present a choking hazard to children. It has been
designed for adults or older children and is
not meant for young children.
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