Masterpieces
A Handful
his is a craft like no other, and “A Handful” makes for one of the most beautiful puzzles because the lines of each piece are accented by the gloss of the print. Bright, vibrant, subtle and loaded with earth tones, the subject herself, flows into the garden as if embracing her task to manage beauty in her grasp, with care and patience. Not that the vase seems big enough to house even one of those stems, the goal of the artist here is perspective and proportion. All aesthetic aspects of this work are in tact, and it includes approximately 40 silhouettes and 1,000 pieces. We thank our client for the opportunity to cut it.
Deco Jester
With a medieval, yet modern style, especially within his many colors, this jester follows no lines and reveals no boundaries. Besides for its erratic shape and undefined borders, the puzzle itself breeds difficulty by offering quirky mis-steps like having 6 hands and feet, or putting similar colors in opposing sections of the body.
There are reasons why some puzzles lend themselves to creative onslaughts of design and layout prior to being hand-cut, and when preparing how to fake out the puzzler, or just make the subject appear three dimensional through its brightest accents, Deco Jester does predominantly achieve all that, on its own. It’s approximately 1,000 pieces and has around 40 of Par’s signature silhouettes.
Finger Food
Many of our clients have a favorite artist. They seek out their dream print, purchase it and ask us to make them a puzzle out of it. In this case, Alfonse Mucha is one of our client’s ultimate treasures to have made. The creativity of Par over the years is the driving force behind irregular edges, interlocking pieces and dropout sections, which were never part of any puzzle company’s artistic set. In “Finger Food”, as it’s so aptly named for our maiden’s tray balancing skills, you’ll see another part of Par’s offerings that were never seen until Par’s Henriques and Ware designed it, and those are puzzles within the puzzle that consistently tie into a fully interlocking puzzle. The gold plate toward the bottom center is a puzzle within itself, which makes assembly more gratifying for any puzzler. “Finger Food” is close to 800 pieces and measures at 26”H x 19” W.
Jester
Known for his talents in entertainment and mystery, our jester here has found his way to more modern times in an abstract form. About as metallic and colorful a print our client could have commissioned, there’s no easy way to solve the thick colored sections considering each quadrant has many pieces of similar color in other areas around the interior. To seek out assistance from a distinguishable border will be tough considering the predominantly irregular and round frame. There is a dropout section within his long slinky arm towards the top where you can actually lift the whole puzzle up and just hold it all together. This takes some practice of course, but it’ll need to be on another puzzle of course because as you know all Par’s are one-of-a-kind.
Lady Brunch
In the world of high society, we would like to believe it’s more about the cuisine and taste, rather than flaunting classy fashion. In our client-commissioned Par here, known as “Lady Brunch,” it seems to be all about the latter. An outdoor café, the puzzle’s characters bring the scene to life and the colors become vital hints to sectioning off the assembly of such a large masterpiece. The dropout corner details are some of the most intricate on any Par. “Lady Brunch” is approximately 850 pieces with nearly 35 of Par’s registered trademark silhouettes – each hand-drawn by our Founders
Martini Queen
For the multitude of card players out there and the idea of landing a rare hand, “Martini Queen” just might be the equivalent of a royal flush. An art deco portrayal of the Queen of Hearts, this darling seems to await her turn inside the deck with a cocktail in-hand. This Par masterpiece is covered in hearts…definitively surrounding the entire border. It contains close to 1100 pieces and 50 different Par silhouettes. The colors and lines within the print make for trick areas where straight lines can fake out the assembler.
Peddlin' Pappy
From what seems to be a day at the park with his pooch, pappy, and a picnic basket, we’ve debated whether this is more of a tale of a traveling magic act, or perhaps a sales roadshow with the cutest sidekicks. Either way, this was one of Par’s vintage prints from the early 1940’s or 1950’s and makes for a fun family favorite to assemble. We say that mainly because it’s size is approximately 500 pieces and there are defined sections of color and distribution that translate a bit easier into completion. Again, this is an all irregular edge puzzle where no help is offered from typical straight border pieces, and the beauty and quality within such an old print instantly places Peddlin’ Pappy into one of Par’s classics.
Prose-In-Pose
As clients do, they pick favorite artists of theirs to be depicted on Par’s finest mahogany-backed wood and “Prose In-Pose” is one of Alfonse Mucha’s. The quartered layout of the puzzle perches angels and guardians within their own sections. (Find out what the words translate too on the print). Our beautiful female subject flows throughout the 28H x 18W dimensions, offering close to 800 pieces of mind-tantalizing puzzlery. Over 35 silhouettes are hidden amongst the golds, blues and hues of this beautiful print, as well as several puzzles within the puzzle.
Table Topplin'
A puzzle that was stored in Par’s vault for over 40 solid years, this jolly vintage found its way to a client of ours who values its history and style. Dropout sections through the center of the couple makes for a third dimension; a difficult cutting technique. There’s a mystique of innocence and inherent quality within this time period; a generation where care and a personal touch was placed in every product ever made…something Par continues to strive for, and offer in their creativity and personalization. The colors within “Table Toppin” have remained beautiful as well, as do all Par’s you’ll see that remain today from the 50’s and earlier.
To Each His Own Regatta
In this work, we find intricate design along the top border….boats carved into the sky and colored sails in pursuit. This puzzle is a hybrid antique where sensational watercolors provide flare to an otherwise muted project. A boat racing competition has brought together countries like the US, Great Britain and France, amongst many others throughout our time, to compete for a coveted cup, and prize money worth less than the importance of the bragging rights in history. From the looks of our subjects, this might be the early 1920’s or 1930’s. As you know, none of Par’s works come with a picture to assemble against and therefore our client must have found his own competition right there at home during assembly.
