Monday, March 28, 2011

Schweizer scherenschnitte

It isn't raining! Here in the Pacific Northwest that is a pretty big deal in spring. The weatherman tells us that this March has been one of the rainiest in many years. Oh, well everything will be beautiful and green, soon.
With four more weeks until Easter, I'm going to share another set of Easter eggs.  This is a set that I made after visiting my daughter who was living in Switzerland at the time. They are decorated with pen and ink in the style of a traditional Swiss folk art.
goatherd
mountain chalet


While it is practiced in Bavaria, Austria, as well as Switzerland, this is a craft that is perfected in Switzerland, and called Scherenschnitte. These beautiful images are made by cutting silhouettes from black paper and pasting it onto a background. 
Schweizer scherenschnitte
American
Lausanne
Sometimes these designs are painted onto the sides of buildings. The ones I like best are the ones like the ones here at the Cheese factory in GI like the ones that show the cows being brought down from the high Alps for the winter.
 Here is the cheese factory La Maison du Gruyère. 
Mural at the factory

close-up









close-up













This is a typical shepherd's hut that is taken up into the high mountains where the cows are pastured all summer.
shepherd's hut
The aging caves at the factory
In Switzerland, every house is required to have a secure room, called a cave. The family usually stores water, and other emergency food. They man's gun is a requirement as well. After the compulsory military service the man is required to keep his gun. This is the cave of the farmhouse home where we stayed near the town of Gruyéres. A real cave!

 
Cave
Wish the would deliver here!
Linking to:

8 comments:

Just a Girl said...

Wow, those eggs are gorgeous! I don't know if you ever visited The Pomeroy Living History farm in Yacolt, WA (it unfortunately closed about a year ago), but they sold (among many other foreign imports) a lot of painted egg-shells, I always wanted one but never purchased one.

Thanks for sharing such lovely art! I already follow your blog through another private profile, but have recently begun a new public blog, I would love it if you'd come visit sometime! :)

~Just a Girl

By the Bluegrass said...

These are fabulous! What an excellent job you did. And, this is a very interesting post! I love posts that I can learn from.
xo,
Sena

Travel With Lulu said...

Wow, fascinating. Are they still required to have caves and guns? Is military service compulsory in this neutral country?

Simone @ Doberman's by the Sea said...

I have enjoyed this tour close tomy home in Germany. The eggs are spectacular. Cheers

Beverly@southernhomesweethome said...

Visiting from Feathered Nest. Those are beautiful! I am amazed at your talent
southernhomesweethome.blogspot.com

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

Wow- what absolute works of art! Beautiful!! Thank you for sharing at FNF! :)

Completely Coastal said...

Oh..., always love to hear something about my homeland. Have been living in the US for 14 years now, but grew up and lived in Zurich. Just wanted to say hi!!!!

Johanna Gehrlein said...

Hi Priscilla,
thank you for the link. Your Easter eggs look fabulous. The Scherenschnitte are great.
Best greetings, Johanna

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