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The French piece above is a 100-year-old
calling card tray of Parian ware. Three
snow-white owls, wings touching, com
prise its stem. Corpulent owls (right)
are banks. "B I inky" winks his electric eye
when a penny is placed in his slot. Made
of seashells, the bug-eyed, sickly little
fellow in the center is running a tempera
tureas any good thermometer shouldl
Incorporating the owl motif, bookends often pay
tribute to the legendary sagacity of the bird. Center,
above, hand-carved owl from Japan, flanked by more
modern creations. Foreground, hand-carved toy flaps
wings and moves ears and beak when string is pulled.
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MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY. OCTOBER 27, 19B3
Black cats, witches, hobgoblins, scare
crows, bats and owls all are part of the
traditional setting for Halloween. Ancient
emblem of wisdom, the owl less frivo
lous than its fellows lends a note of de
corum to a sometimes weird and wacky
celebration.
Mrs. R. D. Abel, Cherry Lane at Hillcrest,
Medford, has been collecting owls for
about 12 years. Not all of these are feath
ered fliers. Some are ceramic; some are
made of metal, china, glass, wood and a
great variety of exotic materials.
Surrounded by 750 of her "pets" many
of them pictured here Mrs. Abel makes
" every day of the year . . .
"(DwI-Ioween
Time"
Antique vase above is made of "tapestry china," a
term which refers to a type of porcelain made about
1890. Covered with a tightly stretched piece of fabric,
the porcelain was then decorated and glazed. The
finished item thus acquired a rough texture similar
to a piece of tapestry.
China mug above, featuring a pair of owls in
delicate pastels, was painted in 1914 by Mrs,
BV G. Harding, currently a resident of Rogue
Valley Manor in Medford. Sugar and creamer
in the foreground were wedding gift about
100 years ago to the parents of Mrs. Mattie Car
son, 920 W. 1 1th St., Medford. Trio at right in
cludes herbal owl made for Mrs. Abel by Mrs.
Leslie Lingscheir, Medford. Wings are of brown
pepper beans, feet of cloves, vest and face of
oats, eye of a lemon life saver with a cinnamon
candy pupil, and the nose is a pine cone bract.
Next figure is of sand-blasted bark from Japan,
last, but not least is the pine cone owl which
started Mrs. Abel's collection. She purchased it
in Gilchrist, Oregon, many years ago.
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Crescent moon of wood, with built-in owl passenger,
has taken on a couple of hitchhikers: Atop, an antique
hand-carved bottle cork; right, an old-fashioned um
brella handle. Owl-topped sterling silver spoon, left,
commemorates the Ashland High school of a by-gone
day. Sundry symbols of learning adorn the handle
the lamp of knowledge, leaves of achievement, books,
world map, telescope, scroll, triangle, compass, and
ink well. At right is an elaborate array of owls in
assware. A trio of owls grace the handle of the
antique pickle jar of cut glass and pewter. The stately
decanter is of green-glast from England. Toothpick
holder in the foreground is of clear cut glass. The
flower frog and mug are of amber glass, as is the
serving dish in the center of the picture.
Match holder is another example of 100-year-old Parian ware. Next to it is a cigar
ette box of lacquered bamboo from Burma. Odd owl-faced "thunder egg" below
was found by Mr. John Bowdish of Medford and donated loArs. Abel's array.
Small white owl isane of the earliest of her acquisitions. It was bought in Klamath
' ' Falls in 1951. i
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