Poland · Dough Modeling; Folk Toy Making; Figurine Making
Polish name not confirmed in the sources reviewed
Small figurines, up to several centimeters tall, modeled from 'chestnut-bread dough' and painted with oil paints for a glazed sheen, sold as children's toys. The best-documented makers are Ludwik and Zofia Postawa of Pychowice, Kraków, whose figurines show Cracovian legends and customs (the Hobby Horse, or Lajkonik, and Pan Twardowski), animals (dogs, cats, roosters, hares, horses, hens with chicks, geese with goslings) and a wedding set. The dough was perishable but cheap and easy to work.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not listed. The separate Kraków nativity scene (szopka) tradition was inscribed by UNESCO in 2018.
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