Vintage Lladró Figurines and Goebel Hummel’s Rosy-Cheeked Children Come to Auction with Lion and Unicorn

Dating back to 11th-century Venice, the gondola is an iconic symbol of the picturesque city of canals. Associated with opulence and romance, the once-major means of transport has always enchanted artists from worlds over. Lladró’s Gondola of Love, a key highlight of Lion and Unicorn’s upcoming sale, is an example of this artistic fascination with the Venetian boat. Noted Lladró designer Juan Ignacio Aliena’s vintage porcelain figurine portrays a gondola with a woman, flowers, and two tiny angels. One of the angels rows the long and narrow boat with a wooden stick. 

Two of Goebel Hummel’s rosy-cheeked children figurines also lead the listings. One depicts a little angel in blue playing a red lute. The other is a small boy holding a toy horse and bugle horn. The pieces are based on the early 20th-century drawings of Bavarian nun Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel. A glazed, hand-painted Royal Doulton bone china figurine is another notable piece modeled by prolific artist Leslie Harradine. It portrays a young girl dressed in white and pink with a bouquet in one hand and a basket in the other. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Lion and Unicorn.