By
Carol J. Perry
As seen in The Antique Shoppe Newspaper, July, 2004
The New York World's Fair of
1939 was truly a major event. The great city, with "its soaring skyscrapers and
glittering lights, prepared to welcome the world to a lavish celebration of
international progress. Each country represented had its
own "pavilion," where fair-goers would be able to view extraordinary exhibits of
that country's very best products. The preparation of the pavilions was
considered critical to the success of the event, so each country commissioned
their most admired designers, architects and artisans to create appropriate
surroundings for the presentation of their nation's finest wares. Such an artisan was Boleslaw
Cybis. His native country was Poland, and he was proud to have been selected to
come to America in 1938 to paint murals for the Polish Pavilion at the New York
World's Fair. He probably wasn't surprised though, at winning such a prestigious
assignment. After all, He'd graduated from Warsaw's Fine Arts Academy. He was a
winner of the Paris International Exhibitions Gran Prix. His paintings,
sculptures and al fresco murals were prominently exhibited ~n many European
cites. He completed his commission, stayed. for a while to enjoy the fair, then
he and his wife, Marja Tym, headed for home. They were aboard ship, bound for
Poland, when word came that Germany had invaded their homeland. The ship
immediately returned to the United States.
Boleslaw and
Marja found themselves more or less stranded in New York City!
But they were a talented and resourceful couple, and they were,
after all, stranded in the "land of opportunity." The two began
making plaster of Paris figurines and other "artware" creations.
They formed a small company and
called it "Cybis Art Productions," and started to sell their attractive products
to gift and department stores in the city. The two became U.. citizens, and
after a few' years they moved to Trenton, New Jersey. In 1942 Boleslaw, along
with two other investors he'd met along the way--Harry Wilson and Harvey
Greenburg--founded The Cordey China Company. They hired some artistically
talented women--fewer than a dozen--to work in the new factory, and following
Boleslaw's designs, created some wonderful giftware items. By this time Cybis
had made up his own secret formula for a cream-colored porcelain-like
composition he called "Papka." The "Cordey Girls" under the direction of
Boleslaw and Marja produced a remarkable output of giftware items. Some of them
were decorated with real lace, dipped into a liquefied clay to create a
dimensional look. There were tea pots and coffee pots with porcelain lace and
dainty porcelain ribbons and tiny rosebuds. Lamps, candy dishes and trinket
boxes bore elaborate decorations of hand-molded roses and other blossoms. Among the most popular of the
items produced by the Cordey China Company were figurines and busts and
half-figures of elaborately dressed and coifed ladies and gentlemen, some of
them designed to be displayed in pairs. These figures are much sought after by
today's collectors. If you find an 11" tall lady and gentleman in coordinated
colonial outfits, you might expect to pay in the $300 range for the pair.
Individually they'll fetch about $150-$200 each. A 14" figure of Madame DuBarry,
with elaborate hair-do, will cost around $300, and a half-figure of a lady
wearing a bonnet might bring about $100-$200.
The small firm also produced
wall-pockets, models of birds, some religious items, and some
quite wonderful lamps--all with a distinctive Old-World charm.
Today a Cordey lamp base with a three-quarter figure of a lady
with a bonnet and applied lace and bows will probably set you
back $250. A lovely Chinese Wood Duck drake on an intricately
molded base complete with flowers and leaves might be as much as
$500. During the 1950s the Cordey line
began to be phased out. At that time Boleslaw started his own new company,
"Cybis Studios," and the lovely porcelain figures from that company gained in
popularity. The Cordey name was acquired by "Lightron Corporation" in 1969 and
after that time, only lamps were produced bearing the Cordey name. The Cordey articles produced
between 1942 and 1950 are not difficult to identify, once you've seen one or two
of them. The Rococo scrolls, floral appliqués and lacy ruffles are quite
distinctive, and to make it even easier virtually all of those Cordey pieces are
numbered and many bear the Cordey signature. Each molded piece was made with
a basic mold produced by Boleslaw. They were then individually decorated by the
factory artisans following a Cybis design. But since each of the women brought
her own artistic flair to the project, no two pieces are exactly alike. Each
piece bears its own impressed identification number. Some also have a mark
identifying the individual artist-decorator who had applied the various flowers
and lacy trims. The numbering system began with the 200s and progressed all the
way to the 8000s. Boleslaw Cybis passed away in
1957 and Marja died the following year. Figures bearing the name "Cybis" are
still being manufactured today, but the unique Cordey figures of the 1940s and
1950s form a separate category, one which has great appeal to many of today's
collectors.
A covered square box-perhaps a Cordey
candy dish-has delicate roses on top and gracefully curved feet. It was tagged
$95.
This figure of a Cordey Oriental lady with loyus flower headdress and
ruffle-trimmed tunic was $2509 at Florida's "Collecto-Rama" show.
This pretty cordey half-figure had some slight damage and was only $70
at the Florida "Collecto-Rama".
The Antique Shoppe
"Florida's Best Newspaper for Antiques
and Collectibles
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