$7,250
Sold
sold
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Description
16" (41 cm.) Hand-pressed paper mache head with flanged
neck,rich black complexion,sculpted black hair in very
tight curls,sculpted angled black brows,heavily lidded
inset brown glass eyes with black eyeliner,broad rounded
nose,closed mouth with very full downcast lips in wistful
expression,very plump cheeks,three modeled tears on
cheeks,brown muslin torso and upper legs,composition lower
limbs,wearing white cotton dress and checkered
pinafore,undergarments,shoes,stockings. Condition:
generally excellent. Marks: L.M. (head) Cleota 1920 (hand
lettered on torso). Comments: attributed to Leo Moss,circa
1920,the itinerant black carpenter of Georgia is believed
to have created a small number of one-of-a-kind dolls
depicting children of his small town world; his materials
were those found-at-hand; for example,the left-over scraps
of wall paper from his day job. The tearful-faced children
were signature to his style,and each was created uniquely.
Value Points: rare American doll with outstanding
sculpting and portraiture,enhanced by the mysterious
background of the artist,superb state of preservation.