Masterpiece Collection (Frisky Friends) - HUM 2008/III HSC 69139093

This impressive figurine is truly an honor to a human’s best friend, the dog. Dogs are amazing animals. According to Marion Huschka, it was a unique challenge to position the characters in the right angle so that the observer feels the connection and communication between them. Due to the size of the figurine, accurate detail work is vital. Each element of a masterpiece figurine needs to be painstakingly worked out in much more detail than with a smaller figurine.

The Frisky Friends figurine achieves its Masterpiece status through extraordinary technical complexity and unparalleled artistic detail: it is constructed from 24 distinct parts, each poured into its own mold, and is painted in 32 individual steps using a palette of 26 colors. The attention to realism is evident in the jacket's painting, where a specific technique using multiple colors applied wet simultaneously creates a realistic, "used" character typical of active play clothes, with darker colors strategically applied on the collar and arm crook. Furthermore, a subtle yet crucial mark of its superior size is visible in the boy’s eyes, which feature four eyelashes instead of the typical three, a characteristic reserved exclusively for the larger Hummel figurines. A similar technique was used on the pants.

The dogs were sprayed uniquely to give the fur a more natural appearance. The hind legs were sprayed with a soft yellow color underlying the other colors. Nothing has left to chance! Not only did the molding department use reference photos to create real looking Westies (West Highland White Terrier) but also the painting department used reference books to tease out and replicate the exact color and structure of the dogs. Frisky Friends Masterpiece figurine also features extra details you expect from Hummel craftsmanship such as the beautiful flower in the hat of the Bavarian boy.