Chinese Wooden Door of Hope

Live Auction

11" (28 cm.) Carved wooden head with elongated slender face, bald pate, painted black circlet at the back of head with extended queue, incised age or frown lines above the brows, at corners of eyes and corners of mouth, cloth body, wooden hands. Condition: generally excellent. Comments: Chinese Door of Hope mission, circa 1920. Value Points: rare model with unusual carving, wearing original blue silk jacket with black soutache ties over brown lined kimono, slacks, slippers, and with black fitted cap. During the 1920s, young Mary Louise Ulmer of Pottsville, Pa. traveled with her parents to China and other countries of the Far East, collecting artifacts from those voyages. These artifacts remained in the family holdings for three generations, until this time, a century later, during which they have been carefully nurtured and preserved. Among the artifacts are the Door of Hope dolls presented here, for the first time on the collecting market. A copy of the letter of provenance is presented with each doll.