The Chalet Owl Figurines

The superstitions and symbols linked to owls date back to ancient Greece and have changed from positive to negative over the centuries. In Greek/Roman mythology, the owl was a sacred figure, dedicated to the goddess of wisdom Athena /Minerva. However, in the Middle Ages, this positive image was replaced with a sinister reputation – because it is active at night and almost blind by day, the owl became associated with stupidity and shady activities. Owls have also long been characterized as harbingers of bad luck and even death. One myth is that bad luck comes to those who hear an owl hoot three times. Italian superstition says that if an owl ends up in your house, someone in your family will die.

This is my favourite myth: that owls are the only creatures that can live with ghosts. I love to think this was the inspiration for the Chalet “ghost owl.”

The “ghost owl” is rare and highly collectible – a “unicorn” for many collectors. To date, they have been found only in the variations shown here. Their typical marking is the etched “Chalet Canada.” The blue/bright green is the one most often found. The blue/olive green is quite a bit scarcer. And the solid coloured and clear are the rarest. We have seen on yellow and green 2-tone as well. They are quite large and heavy for their size. 50 Shades member Iam Marc Lindner’s “Casper” (blue/olive seen above) weighs in at over a pound and is five ½ inches in height.

Cindy Bishop-Laughlin’s Chalet “ghost” is even larger –weighing two pounds with a height of six inches and width of 4.5 inches.

This yellow and green “ghost” is from the collection of 50 Shades member Pina Pina and is the only one I know of, to date, in this particular colour combination. Very rare. It is very heavy at 2lbs 12 ounces and stands over 6 inches tall. An impressive piece!

A very unique piece. Both in colouring and size - this “white fog” and “barely there” wisp of green colour placement has never been seen before in any form of Chalet. It is smaller than the other “ghost owls” at only 5 1/2” tall. A new “add” to my collection.

I am not sure if 50 Shades member Jo Highland believes in the owl/ghost myth but this Halloween photograph of hers makes me think that she does!

Jo Highland’s “ghost” figurine is of clear crystal.

It is shown (at left, bottom row) in a 1971 Chalet company “press release” run in the Cornwall Standard-Freeholder.

From the archives of the Cornwall Community Museum.

But enough of the owl bad and scary. Instead, remember this?

The Owl and the Pussycat

The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea

In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
you are,
you are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are."

Pussy said to the Owl "You elegant fowl,
How charmingly sweet you sing.
O let us be married, too long we have tarried;
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows,
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
his nose,
his nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling your ring?"
Said the Piggy, "I will"
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon.
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand.
They danced by the light of the moon,
the moon,
the moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

In 1870, Edward Lear created his famous “nonsense” poem. The Owl and the Pussycat, the love story between an owl and cat, was written to amuse the young daughter of a friend. It was an instant sensation and has remained a favourite for the 153 years since its debut so I thought a “Chalet interpretation” would be fitting.

The “groom” (owl) from the collection of Deborah Patterson and the “bride” (pussycat) from the collection of Melissa Patterson.

In reviewing and sorting through my owl files for this article, a very unexpected fact emerged. Before starting, I had assumed my files would show a good variety of assorted colour combinations in the two styles of the small Chalet owl figurines (the “round head” and the “pointed ears”) as multiple colour combinations are typical in their animal figurines. However, I only had one! At first, I thought I had just been lazy or careless in gathering information. So, I scoured the online selling sites, looked at all the photographs and albums in our collectors’ groups and did Internet searches to see what I had missed. After hours of research, it became increasingly apparent that my files reflected reality and not poor record keeping. Still not fully convinced, I then contacted six very experienced collectors to determine if they had any knowledge of other colours. None had, and to a person, they were surprised by this discovery. It’s certainly not something any of us had ever stopped and thought about before – I learn at least one new thing with every article! This was the first new fact but there are more.

Without further preamble, let’s look at the two styles of small owl figurines that Chalet produced.

The “round head” owl is inventory/production number #617 and is the most common. It was typically made in the blue/green combinations and clear crystal. The coloured owls are most often found etched “Chalet Canada” but have also been occasionally found stickered with the small Chantili label.

Photograph courtesy of Chalet Vintage Art Glass Gallery.

The blue/bright or emerald-green coloured are the most frequently seen. This figurine from the collection of 50 Shades member Jon Parent.

As is typical of all Chalet forms, shades and placement of colour is not standard.

Size also can vary.

This pair roosts in the collection of 50 Shades member Dwain Robertson.

The blue/olive green coloured “round head” owl is much less often seen.

From the aviary of 50 Shades member Kevin Hall.

The clear crystal can be found with the “Chalet Canada” etched signature and the small Chalet “Lead Crystal” sticker as well as the Chalet/Riekes label.

As shown in the Riekes Crisa 1976 “General Catalog.”

As I stated above, this form is typically found in blue/green or clear crystal. However, we very recently discovered a “Never say Never” Chalet exception to this rule! Not only is it, at present, the only “round head” that we have seen in any colouration other than the blue/green, this lovely little surprise retains an exceedingly rare hang tag as well.

The second style of small Chalet owl figurine is the “pointed ears.” I do not have an inventory/production number for this form. It is harder to find than the “round head.” It was also just produced in just the blue/green colour combinations as well as in clear crystal.

Photo courtesy of 50 Shades member David Dunkley.

The clear crystal “pointed ears” figurine was distributed by N. C. Cameron and Sons in Canada and by Riekes Crisa in the United States.

The “pointed ears” style was not featured in the Riekes 1976 catalog shown above. However, in the later, undated catalog, it seems to have replaced the “round head” in Assortment #7228-69.

This picture is a good example of a Chalet second. Compare the clear crystal “round head” owl on the right to the clear crystal owl on the riser at back. It has a distinct yellow tinge – too much lead in the mix. This was not a deliberate choice but rather, a mistake.

The Chalet “buddha belly” owls are full of character. They evoke an instant reaction. When I posted in 50 Shades that I had found a clear one to keep my avventurina one company, the picture of the two prompted many responses. Quite a few were comical – my husband thought it looked like the infamous Canadian Ookpik, the seller had it listed as an artic fox, my son said it reminded him of the Japanese Daruma dolls and the group co-administrator said it was a “Chalet Ewok.” You decide!

The ”buddhas” were produced in clear crystal, gold leaf with bullicante and several unusual two- tone combinations. To date, the majority of gold leaf with bullicante (controlled bubbles) has been found in blue with gold fill. Moreover, unlike the polar bear and elephant figurines, there have been no silver filled owl figurines discovered as of yet. However, I am thrilled to be able to show you an exceedingly rare set of gold and green. My second huge surprise while doing this article!

Cornwall, 2010 photo shoot for “The Shapes and Colours of Chalet Art Glass.” Chalet *Maestro* Bruno Panizzon poses with animal figurines he personally made while at Chalet (1962-1975). Like many of the rarer Chalet animal figurines, the “Buddha belly” owls also were produced with gold inclusions. This could be done several ways. In the owl shown here, *Maestro* Panizzon added gold dust to make this figure *avventurina.* The particles were added to a small amount of molten glass, then he added a layer of clear crystal to the *gather*. When he began to blow the glass, the gold dust particles within the layers dispersed throughout the piece producing shimmering effects. The gold inclusions may appear close to the surface or submerged within deeper layers of clear crystal. There is no uniformity from piece to piece. A different technique and material, silver foil not dust, was used in the polar bear figurine.

Although these etched “Chalet Canada” owls are the same form, note the differences in colour, shape and both the gold and bubble technique. Typical variations. In the “buddha belly” owls, there can be significant differences in the length and width of face and belly. Figurine on the left from the collection of 50 Shades member Cindy Bishop-Laughlin. Figurine on the right left from the collection of 50 Shades member Jonathon Tremblay.
These exquisite pieces are also from the collection of Jonathon Tremblay. To date, these are the only *avventurina* and *bullicante* pieces that I know of in a colour other than blue.

Another unusual and stunning avventurina and bullicante figurine.

Sometimes “all that glitters” IS gold! Lucky for me.

A one-of-a-kind silver filled and bullicante owl.

There are no words to describe this incredible piece from the collection of Cindy Bishop Laughlin. Etched “Chalet Canada.”

These three unusual 2-tones are also exceptionally rare.

Cranberry and green. From the collection of 50 Shades member Kevin Hall.

The clear crystal Chalet “buddhas” are also rare.

F M Konstglas Ronneby (Sweden) also manufactured clear and coloured owls in this design. The clear are seen quite frequently and are often mistaken for Chalet. However, there are noticeable differences in height and diameter. The profile of the Swedish figurine is more pear shaped. And there are also differences in the styling – especially in the more subtle belly ledge/slope, less pronounced ears, and rounder eyes

On left, Chalet figurine. On right, Konstglas figurine.

More Ronneby “buddhas.”

Note the beautiful “feathers” of the grey owl.

My “3 buddha amigos.” Grumpy, Groucho and Gruff.

Riekes Crisa carried two sizes of a large Chalet clear crystal owl figurine with a pedestal base. To date, this form appears to be a “Riekes exclusive” as it has not been found with any other markings.

There is a smaller figurine itemized but not shown in the 1976 catalog. Note that Chalet was no longer in operation in 1976. The large figurine is not listed in the later catalog but the smaller is still available. This most likely reflects a lack of Chalet inventory with regard to the larger size.

This parliament makes its home with 50 Shades member Candace Nestorowich. The two side pieces are the only short owl pedestal figurines that, to date, I am aware have been found.

The smaller owl pedestal figurine appears alone in the later, undated Riekes catalog.

After Chalet’s closure, Riekes replaced the Chalet product with a Mexican made version of the same form

10” Mexican owl on left. The larger figurine on the right is Chalet.

The base of the Mexican owl is etched “Kristaluxus” with a gold foil label that reads “HAND CRAFTED IN OLD MEXICO JOHN RIEKES KRISTALUS COLLECTION FULL LEAD CRYSTAL

As a point of interest, Riekes also carried a clear crystal Mexican made whale figurine that is extremely similar to the Chalet clear crystal whale. It also bears this same etching and label.

I have never seen the Kristaluxus whale other than in photographs but own the Kristaluxus owl shown above. It is an absolutely stunning piece, beautifully made and is “2 hands heavy.”

Chalet’s relationship with the noted American glassblower Don Shepherd (1930-2002) is neither documented nor clear. A little backstory is necessary here. A little backstory is necessary here. In 1955, Shepherd co-founded the Jonynas & Shepherd Art Studio with Ukrainian born V.K. Jonynas. In early 1971, he established the super “Glass America” GA line with Jonynas and Yan Rieger. Three years later, in 1974, Shepherd became the longest tenured Design Director for Blenko, holding the position from1974 through 1988. While at Blenko he also consulted with, and designed for, the Libbey Glass Company (Toledo, Ohio) from 1975 to 1978. The third glass line Shepard is credited for is D.A.S Designs: Shepherd’s personal line which included recognizable pieces such as the “Ice Floe” molded owls. In 1988, Shepherd left Blenko to work with Herman Miller as a designer.

In the last ten years, many Chalet pieces that are identical to Shepherd pieces have been discovered. However, at no time had any of the Chalet glassblowers named him as a fellow artist at the Cornwall factory. I verified this again as the starting point for my research into the Chalet/Shepherd connection for the 2015 Chalet Crystal Clear. Given this but noting the overwhelming similarities between his owls, vases, bottles, candleholders and corresponding Chalet pieces, a reasonable premise seemed that it was distinctly possible Don Shepherd acted as a designer and consultant to Chalet as he later did with Libby Glass.

Regardless of the logistics, it is inarguable that Chalet, D.A.S and Blenko all produced an embossed, molded owl that is identical in design, size, and material. When compared, the number of markings around the chest and eyes are the same and other features such as the beak, height, length, angle of side cuts, posings, and base consistently match. The only difference is colouring – Don Shepherd for Chalet molded owls are only found in clear crystal. However, they were produced in amber, red, cobalt blue and a 2-tone amberina as well as clear crystal for Blenko and D.A.S.

Chalet molded owls are rare and highly collectible. They were made in 1, 2, 3 and 4 owl configurations. s. These are found etched “Chalet Canada” and with Chalet labels.

50 Shades member Jo Highland is fortunate enough to have the complete set in her collection.

I am missing the 4-owl piece. A “unicorn” for me! A girl needs something other than shoes to lust after.

Last but not least are the Chalet owl bonbonniere. These are truly a Chalet oddity and not much is known about them. They are not offered on any of the Chalet bonbonniere sheets I possess and Chalet artist Roberto De Marchi was able to confirm that these were not production pieces as he worked extensively with the hand molded pieces and did not create any of this form. He cannot verify if they were test samples, special orders, or practice pieces by a Chalet apprentice. They are rare and really quite odd. The execution quality is not up to typical Chalet standards. Notwithstanding this, they have a charm all of their own.