$28,000
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Description
22" (55 cm.) Bisque socket head with elongated slender face portraying an older child, painted blue/grey upper-glancing eyes, thick black upper eyeliner, one-stroke tapered brows, strong nose with accented nostrils, closed mouth with very full lips in solemn expression, sculpted ears, blonde mohair wig, composition and wooden ball-jointed body. Condition: generally excellent, tiny rub on nose. Marks: K*R 107 55. Comments: Kammer and Reinhardt, circa 1910, from their art reform character series, sculpted by the renowned German artist Arthur Lewin-Funcke from his original bronze sculpture "Portrait of a Boy". The identity of this famous sculptor was not known until 1991 when research in German archives by Jurgen and Marianne Cieslik made the important discovery. The doll firm and the sculptor had deliberately kept their alliance private as the doll enterprise was considered a commercial endeavor antithetical to the art community. Cieslik noted, "Lewin-Funcke had taken his secret of being the father of the character doll movement to his grave in 1937" (German Doll Studies, page 227). The doll was marketed under the name "Karl", although few examples of this larger size were ever made. Value Points: exceptional detail of sculpting achieves an almost hand-pressed look, with very fine bisque and painting, original wig, body and body finish, antique knit mariner-style suit with blue woolen sailor cap, knit stockings and saddle shoes.