The Collector: Camels carry Maryanna Mayer down memory lane

A 4-foot-tall camel complete with a padded saddle, launched a collection filled with memories of exotic locations.

In 1969-1972, Maryanna Mayer lived in Ethiopia with her first husband, who was an Army major working with the Military Assistance Advisory Group.

“We had diplomatic passports and had lunch with Haile Selassie twice a year,” Mayer said.

One evening they were invited to dinner at the home of some good friends. The wife pulled Mayer aside to ask a favor.

Mayer recalled the conversation.

“Maryanna, we bought you a present, and I know you always tell the truth, but I want you to lie. I want you to lie and tell me you love it!”

That’s when she showed her the large camel she’d purchased while visiting Turkey.

“I didn’t have to lie. I loved it because they were such good friends,” said Mayer. “It did turn out to be a pain in the neck to carry out, though!”

And thus, a camel caravan was born.

In her South Hill home, a cardboard dromedary (one hump) from Paris sits next to her latest acquisition – a leather specimen with a Bedouin rider atop that she found at Owens Auction.

A pair of lamps features brass Bactrians (two humps).

“I found them at T.J. Maxx,” she said.

Other additions came her way as gifts, including a delicate gold-trimmed crystal camel from a niece in Minnesota and a small plush toy a friend found at a church rummage sale.

She’s selective when adding to her caravan.

“I don’t buy every camel I see,” she said. “And I see a lot of them in Nativity scenes, but I never break up a set.”

However, she confesses to sometimes being persuaded to pick up something she might not usually choose. Mayer pointed to an example – a white ceramic camel with a colorful saddle.

“I saw it in a window at a shop in Hillyard,” she said, smiling. “My granddaughter said, ‘Oh! You’ve got to buy it!’ ”

Mayer enjoys needlepoint and has a camel project waiting to be stitched. She’s often searching for her small scissors, so she found a creative way to keep track of them. She attached a pair to the harness of a wooden dromedary she purchased at a shop on North Monroe Street. That handy item sits next to a tall pillar candlestick with a reclining camel at its base.

Nearby, a shelf holds an ornate white porcelain teapot. The camel’s saddle serves as a lid.

In her living room, several pieces of art depict the desert mammal.

“I got this at a kiosk along the river in Paris,” said Mayer, holding a large print featuring her favorite collectible in the foreground.

A metal-framed piece features a caravan of four roped together. The wooden cutouts with the rising sun behind them are imposed on a black background.

An eye-catching charcoal drawing hangs in a place of honor. Sketched by noted Italian artist Nenne Sanguineti Poggi, the work depicts a Bedouin camp with a dromedary in the background.

“It was a gift from an Italian gentleman I met in Ethiopia,” Mayer said. “I’d love to buy another one.”

The artist lived in Eritrea for 30 years and created art for the Ethiopian government and private clients. Many of her drawings and paintings reflect her time in Africa.

Mayer’s collection has a suitable setting. Rugs from Iran and furniture covered in fabrics that reflect her travels in the Middle East fill her home.

But despite her affinity for camels, she’s never ridden one.

“I’m afraid of heights,” she said, shaking her head.

The camel that started it all remains her favorite.

Born in Kansas, Mayer said that she never expected to travel so far, and her collection reminds her of friends and experiences.

“I saw things I never thought I’d see,” she said. “My years in Ethiopia were the most fun three years of my life!”