M.I. Hummel "Bookworm" Pair — Goebel Germany Boy (HUM 14/A) & Girl (HUM 3)

A complementary pair of M.I. Hummel "Bookworm" figurines produced by Goebel in Germany, each depicting a seated child wholly absorbed in an oversized illustrated picture book. The boy wears a green pinafore over a salmon shirt with a blue neck-bow; the girl is dressed in a polka-dot blouse with a sage coat and a red hair-bow, one finger raised to her lips in mid-thought. Both carry the hand-painted Hummel palette of soft greens, warm corals, and naturalistic flesh tones, with open book pages showing illustrated birds and decorative motifs rendered in fine detail.

The boy's base is incised HUM 14/A and bears a blue Stylized Bee-in-triangle (TMK-3) backstamp over "Germany," placing his production between approximately 1958 and 1972. The girl's base carries mold number HUM 3 with a V-Bee backstamp — consistent with Goebel production spanning the late 1950s through the 1970s, though the precise variant (TMK-2 or TMK-5) warrants closer comparison against a reference guide. The two figurines are not a single matched production run but represent the same subject pair across compatible Goebel eras — a common and collector-accepted configuration for the "Bookworm" subject. Among the earliest motifs adapted from Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel's original drawings, "Bookworm" has been in continuous production since 1935 and ranks among the most actively collected subjects in the Hummel catalog.

CONDITION

Good overall with no chips, cracks, or repairs noted on either figure. Light shelf wear to both bases consistent with long-term display; paint and glaze present strongly across both pieces.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Each Figurine: 5.5" H × 4" W × 4.5" D
• Quantity: 2 Figurines
• Maker: Goebel, Germany
• Designer: Sister M.I. Hummel (Maria Innocentia Hummel)
• Pattern: "Bookworm"
• Boy Mold Number: HUM 14/A
• Boy Backstamp: Blue Stylized Bee in Triangle (TMK-3, c. 1958–1972)
• Girl Mold Number: HUM 3
• Girl Backstamp: V-Bee