For over 120 years, the family-owned Ino Schaller of Germany has hand-crafted beautiful Santas and other figures for the world to treasure. This year, we’re so excited to bring this amazing maker into our own selection of fine holiday collectibles and – guessing by the attention this new collection has received so far – you must be excited to see these one-of-a-kind pieces too. Here, we share a little about the rich history behind Ino Schaller, the century-old process behind their handiwork, and the wonderful experience it was for our team to visit with great-grandson Thomas Schaller last winter.
Four Generations of Schaller Artistry
In 1894 – not long after paper mache was first used to create decorative containers for sweets in the Neustadt-Sonneberg area of Germany – trained embosser Carl Schaller began designing his own molds to create his own paper mache figures. From the start, the entire family was involved in the creating, painting, and decoration of each piece. Carl’s son Ino took over in the 1940’s and gave the company his name. Ino’s son Dieter followed, and together they explored new artistic paths with the company’s products. But now in the fourth generation, Thomas Schaller has returned the focus to the original paper mache designs and techniques that his great-grandfather used over a century ago. Each folk-art figure is again handmade with a closely guarded process to create each one-of-a-kind, hand-painted, hand-signed piece. And through the generations, these special pieces continue to be a treasure for families around the world.
A Seven-Day Process
Like many of the other fine makers in our Christmas collection, the artisans at Ino Schaller honor a traditional approach to production that celebrates handwork over machine-work, originality over mass-production, and detail over speed. And when you find yourself gazing into the enchanting eyes of one of their Santa figures, all the love that’s put into each piece comes shining through.
Each figure takes seven days to create. On day one, a proprietary blend of paper, glue, and other ingredients is mixed together. It’s then poured into hand-made, two-part molds on the following day. On the third day, the molds are opened and the brand-new casts are allowed to dry. During the remaining days, the paper mache casts are painstakingly prepared, hand-painted, and hand-decorated using generations-old techniques and quality – often using natural materials like sheep’s wool, glass beads, feathers, and Swarovski crystals. Once completed, each piece is hand-signed and assigned a certificate of authenticity. No two are exactly alike – each reflects the talent and personality of its creator.
Sitting Down with Thomas Schaller
Very early this year – when overseas travel was still possible – our team traveled to Germany to attend the huge Christmas market going on in Frankfurt, Germany. There, vendors from all over the world brought their amazing Christmas creations – the collection from Ino Schaller was one of the most fascinating. Massed along the shelves were thousands of Santas in a myriad of styles, sizes, and colors along with Santa boots, flocked deer, enchanting forest mushrooms, and other jaw-dropping creations. It was enough to nearly overwhelm even a seasoned buyer, but great-grandson Thomas Schaller was there to help.
With the characteristically intimate way the family approaches their business, Thomas sat with our team, walked us through the process of narrowing down the perfect selection for our store, and even hand-wrote the order on paper himself. It was a refreshing change from the internet-dependent, digital ordering process that almost every other manufacturer uses today, and for the team, the experience was wonderful. The Schallers are lovely people, which makes sharing their exquisite creations with you even more special.
Come Discover Ino Schaller
We hope you’ll visit our Christmas Shop and take in the enchanting wonder of Ino Schaller’s meticulously created Santas and other fine figures. We’re so happy to see how much you’ve enjoyed them already, and we can’t wait to introduce even more from Ino Schaller in the years to come.
