Pair,Rare 19th Century Wax Fashionable Ladies with Wax Coiffures and Original Costumes

Live Auction

16" (41 cm.) Each has wax-over-gesso shoulderhead of lady with very slender face and elongated throat,sculpted wax hair in very elaborate coiffure,pierced ears,brown glass inset eyes,painted features,closed mouth,wooden block torso and upper legs,wax-over-gesso lower limbs,painted boots. Condition: fair/good with wax repair,one with touch-up on lips,one wooden torso worn. Comments: Circa 1870,as indicated by original costumes,the maker and country of origin is unknown; another example is shown in Gerken's Wonderful Dolls of Wax,page 112 with an early notation "Example of the finest French wax" although that seem unlikely; others have suggested Spain or Mexico. Value Points: rare,curious and appealing fashionable ladies,each wearing her original costume,one with exceptional detail of wax ringlet curls has painted wax gloves,fancily-trimmed wax boots,and is wearing her original wedding gown with wax orange blossom bouquet and coronet,and unusual jewelry; the other has ornately-coiled chignon and is wearing purple sateen gown with Alencon lace trim,original earrings,and painted gold wax heeled boots with tassels