Little porcelain miniature figures sorta like Wades I'd please

Hiya all,
Anyone know what these are?
Thanks Steve

 

If someone can identify the ethnicity, that's likely the best you can get. Probably souvenirs from that place.

 

They do look like giveaways of some sort.Charming little things.

 

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Image search found these. Seller is calling them old French porcelain "beans santons", whatever that means.

https://www.etsy.com/nz/listing/549...how_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details

 

A little blurb I found about french santons.

Small figurines of santons from French Provence used like beans of the cake of the kings during the Epiphany also called the Little Christmas.

Seems like they are the same as the litte figures you find in the Mardi Gras cakes

 

Yes, they are small santons, commonly used for Provençal Nativity scenes. The porcelain ones are also used for a special Epiphany cake.

My parents had a set of the regular pottery ones. About 50 santons depicting different professions and activities, a mountain village, and several buildings including a scale model of the "Moulin de Daudet", a famous windmill near Arles. They also had a santon of French Gypsy patron Sara Kali, and Gypsy pilgrims.
At Christmas they were all displayed on a blanket chest.

So you get an idea, this is part of a set of 1000 santons:


https://www.sfx-paris.fr/la-creche-aux-milles-santons/

 

Doing a translate of "santons", I get "figurines".
Searching eBay France for santon, they mostly seem to be naive figurines of peasantry, a lot of them associated with Provence. My guess is that "beans" refers to the size.

*****
Edit: I wrote this hours ago and never posted it. Then I come back and post it only to find the question already answered.

 

Santons are figurines, but the word 'santon' is Provençal for 'little saint'.

Santons are not just the peasantry, they include figures of one or more Arlesienne ladies, a mayor, a priest, and other 'dignitaries'. All of them Provençal (and Camarguais).

 

Santons are not just tiny, btw, they come in different sizes.
I have a small collection of bigger santons, including a few collectionable ones by santon artist Simone Jouglas. The costumes are proper costumes, slightly larger than Barbie size.

Mine are in boxes, but these are also by Simone Jouglas:

 

Never seen such large figurines in New Orleans, but maybe Mardi Gras over in France or Brazil? Traditionally, a baby figurine is used in a King Cake. McKenzies did make King Cakes with teeny tiny ceramic queens at one point, but they were about an inch or less in height, like the babies. Since the 1970s, the babies have been made of plastic. I think these are just little doll souvenirs, Santons as AJ said.

 

I have to go digging for my Gypsy ribbon seller santon. She is the most beautiful I have ever seen, and fortunately I could afford her.
If I find her, I will post her.

 

Not souvenirs though, a local tradition. Around Christmas time you see them everywhere in Provence, in homes, community halls, etc.

 

Now that I know what they are for I like them even more !

 

Thanks, AJ, yes and I agree with Johnny too!