Hans in Luck is one of the fairytales collected by the Brothers Grimm. In German, it's known as Hans im Glück. It's the story of Hans, who has been away from home for seven years, trying to earn enough money to return. He earns gold from his master the size of his head and finally begins the journey home to see his mother. But the gold is heavy, so he trades it in for a horse, and the horse bucks and so Hans trades the horse for a cow, but the cow does not give milk so he trades the cow for a pig. The pig, it turns out, is the property of the squire, so Hans, rather than face the possibility of being arrested, trades it for a goose. Don't ask us why, but Hans then is convinced to trade the goose for a grindstone, which is even heavier than the gold was, and when Hans stops for a drink at the river, the grindstone falls in and is lost and Hans, delighted to be free of his heavy load, walks on to his mother's house empty handed... but with a good tale to tell.

This ornament is based on Hans's story and is handmade from carved and turned wood and hand painted by artisans of the Graupner Workshop in Crottendorf, in the heart of Germany's Erzgebirge Mountains. The workshop, noted for its bold use of color, is run by Kordula & Ronald Graupner. Just about 4 1/4" tall x 2 1/2" wide x 1" deep, with a cord for hanging.

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