Rare Early Wax Mother with Child in Original Woven Basket Seat

Live Auction

6" (15 cm.) l. base,6"seated h. A poured wax lady with oval face,elongated throat and modeled bosom is posed seated in a long woven basket which is resting upon a wooden platform. The woman has tiny bead eyes and a most delicately-rendered features,lace cap with green silk ribbons,earrings,wearing original multi-layered costume,wax arms,constructed without legs,holding a wax baby with tiny wax bead eyes,and original costume. Condition: fair,very dusty,woman missing one finger,baby missing one leg. Comments: late 17th century,designed as doll house figure for early Dutch or English "baby" houses,it is ink lettered 1249/FSS/17 on the underside of base. Value Points: very rare early dollhouse figures,posed in original basket seat,designed for enclosed seating near fireplace,with legs outstretched and covered; the hanging loop at the back allowed the "basket chair" (sometimes known as "baker's mat" in Netherlands) to be hung on the wall when not in use. The lady has exceptional detail of refinement in the sculpting and painting. She was featured in Estelle Johnson's article "Dolls House Dolls" in Doll Reader,February 1995.