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A Tale Of KATOUFS From Royal Times To Nursery Rhymes
by with Illustrations by Princess Marie of Greece
23 pages; Saddle stitched; catalogue #04-0590; ISBN 1-4120-2762-4; US$13.50, C$15.00, EUR11.00, £7.50
A collection of the imaginative character creations of Princess Marie of Greece matched with traditional nursery rhymes.
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About the Book About the Author Excerpts Catalogue Information
About the Book
If you read with children, you'll observe that their faces visually express what they feel - delight, joy, surprise, and laughter. That's what "KATOUFS®" does through its whimsical illustrations. The Greek translation of KATOUFS® is "making a face." And paired with these classic nursery rhymes, KATOUFS® makes these children's poems come alive.
KATOUFS® presented in this book were illustrated by Marie Gueorguievna, Princess of Greece (1876-1940). She has a lineage closely tied to today's European royal houses and the Russian House of Romanov. If she were alive today, Marie would be the aunt of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and great aunt to HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales.
Born on March 3, 1876 she was one of eight children. Her parents were King George I (Danish) and Queen Olga (Russian) of Greece. In 1900 she married Grand Duke Michaelovich and became H.I. & R.H. Grand Duchess George of Russia. Marie's two daughters, Nina and Xenia were frequent playmates of their cousin, the infamous Anastasia Romanov. Princess Marie moved to England in 1914 with her daughters where, as World War I erupted, she created most of her work based on caricatures of people she met throughout her travels in Europe. As a matter of fact, history has recorded that at various charity bazaars the Princess painted nursery rhyme illustrations on rough silk to be made into pillows and sold to help the war effort.
Eventually, both of her daughters moved to America and the Princess gave her art to her younger daughter, Xenia. While living on Long Island N.Y., Xenia became dear friends with her neighbor, Carmela Abbondandolo - a friendship and admiration for the art that lasted many years - and gifted her mother's entire collection to her.
After years of quietly resting among the Abbondandolo family treasures, KATOUFS® are now introduced to the world through this unique collection.
These unusual characters were the creation of a very gifted individual who was obsessed with facial expression and had the unusual talent for combining human faces with an assortment of animals ranging from birds and fish, to those found only in her brilliant imagination. Combining Princess Marie's KATOUFS® with traditional nursery rhymes seemed a natural for this collection of misfits, which represents only a fraction of her entire 600-image portfolio.
In this book we have combined traditional rhyme with Princess Marie's untraditional art. This simple equation will entertain, engage and excite your imagination for years to come.
Introductions to nursery rhyme books aren't read by the children for whom they are intended, but they are read by parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians and collectors who are seeking quality books for their loved ones that represent the best of literature.
Now the tale is complete. KATOUFS® have emerged from the notebooks of royal times past to be introduced to the world through the timelessness of nursery rhymes.
For more information, please visit www.katoufs.com
About the Author
Tom Abbondandolo (Abby) and Ted Kole are partners in Katoufs Unlimited, LLC, world wide representative for the KATOUFS® art collection for publishing and product licensing.
KATOUFS® is an original collection of art from the notebooks of Princess Marie of Greece Her title was "Her Imperial and Royal Highness Grand Duchess George of Russia". Despite that, she was a Dane, raised in Greece, and related to most - if not all - of the Royal families of Europe, either by birth or marriage.
Princess Marie's life (from 1876 - 1940) spanned two World Wars and the Russian Revolution, to which she lost her husband. Marie traveled to the United States only once, sometime in the 1930s, to visit her daughters and grandchildren. At that time it is believed the notebook albums of KATOUFS® were given to her daughter, Xenia, who lived in the town of Glen Cove on Long Island, New York. Marie died on December 14, 1940 and was buried among cypress and pine trees near her father and mother in the family cemetery at Tatoi in her beloved Greece.
Excerpts
Catalogue Information
