Max Schanz

Overview

The leaping deer from the range of wooden toys from the Seiffen region is an international symbol in the gleaming eyes of children and collectors alike. It was designed by Max Schanz (1895–1953), who as a teacher and director of the Spielwarenfachschule [Technical College for Toys] informed the production of toys in the Erz Mountains. His designs were implemented through the division of labor in family-oriented cottage industries, achieving the standards set by the Werkbund [German Work Federation] for attractive aesthetic and professional production: from small carol singers to six-meter-high Christmas pyramids, all basic components were turned on the lathe and thus display the design idiom typical of Seiffen.

Spielzeug Gestalten im Erzgebirge portrays a significant chapter in German design history, from the late Empire, through the Weimar Republic and National Socialist rule, to the early GDR.