Gnome Art

Garden gnomes may be small figurines, but they have left an indelible mark on popular culture and gardens across the world. Gnomes are often portrayed as wise, mischievous or even a little naughty. Their popularity has soared in recent years, with the addition of the blue-skinned characters to Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the wildly successful Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter role-playing games that feature gnome-like creatures.

The statues have a long history, starting in ancient times when people put figures of the fertility god Priapus in their gardens to ensure healthy crops. They became more prominent during the Renaissance and the Romantic period, when people modeled their landscapes on the cultures of their day. Later, European fairy tales further influenced the popularity of gnomes, as they conflated the figures with other mythological creatures like goblins and brownies and leprechauns.

Originally, gnomes weren’t meant to be garden fixtures. Dwarf statues first morphed into gnomes when Alfred Baehr and Johann Maresch started making their own versions in porcelain around 1841, according to Way. Their early catalogues show the dwarfs dressed in red conical hats and blue shirts, and engaged in a variety of occupations including carpentry, fishing and hunting. It was a far cry from the laziness and irreverence attributed to modern gnomes, who sport a range of apparel including Covid-19 stickers and a range of football club gear.

Their popularity skyrocketed when a Dutch author named Wil Huygen and artist Rien Poortvliet began collaborating on books featuring their endearing illustrations. The gnome-themed book Gnomes hit the bestseller lists in 1976 and became a must-have for many households, especially with its depictions of gnomes doing a wide variety of domestic tasks, from building snug underground cabins to rubbing their noses and helping injured animals.

As gnome-mania spread, they started showing up in art and other places besides the home, including a number of sculptures by Hans Memling in the 17th century, a series of paintings by Johannes Vermeer from the early 18th century and one of Mussorgsky’s pieces from his Pictures at an Exhibition in 1874. The latter’s gnome music is written to sound as if the figure is moving about, and was based on his observations of a gnome in a park.

More recently, the little guys have popped up in TV shows and movies, and their kitschy appeal makes for an appealing addition to any garden. The lovable characters are also a hit with kids, and have inspired countless toy companies and merchandise lines.