RARE Vintage ANNE BEATE Small Handpainted Danish Wooden Christmas Candle Holders

The Anne-Beate Company of Denmark has been handcrafting wooden holiday ornaments (mostly "Nisse," or Danish pixies) since 1963, and is now one of the oldest traditional pixie-producing companies in Denmark. It is certainly the oldest woman-owned company that uses traditional methods to create these small crafts that are so representative of Danish folklore. These small, egg-shaped wooden candle holders are some of the very first Anne-Beate designs, dating back to the 1960s. They show some minor wear, which is to be expected since they are 60 years old (and very rare). They hold the small candles you would use in a Weihnachtspyramide or any other European/Scandinavian Christmas candle ornament. (They currently hold two genuine beeswax candles.) The most alluring thing about these ornaments that to this day is still part of Anne-Beate's process, is that the final stages of hand-painting and decorating are done by "home women," Danish artisans who finish the pixies and other decorations in their own homes. It's an admirable collaborative creative process that keeps the folk tradition alive and accessible, and some of the women are able to work well into their 90s! These two candle holders measure 2 inches tall and 1.4 inches wide.