Italian Felt Portrait Doll of Spanish Actress Raquel Meller by Lenci with Unique Facial Sculpture

Live Auction

28" (71 cm.) Felt swivel head with pressed and painted facial features,perfectly oval face,elongated strong throat,painted brown side-glancing eyes with grey all-around eye shadow and black eyeliner,white eyedots,dark brown painted brows,closed mouth with a hint of smile,brunette mohair wig in long ringlet curls,slender torso,elongated slender arms and legs,feet posed for high heels. Condition: generally excellent,fading of costume colors. Comments: Lenci,from a unique facial sculpture by Marcello Dudovich,the doll was shown in the 1925 Lenci catalog,#263,identified as portraying the Spanish actress Raquel Meller; this was one of only four or five Lenci models actually bearing the name of a particular celebrity. The beloved chanteuse toured to acclaim throughout Europe and America; it is said that Sarah Bernhardt described her as the "greatest actress in Europe - after myself". The costume on this doll is remarkably similar to what she is wearing in a 1918 painting of Meller by Joaquin Sorolla. Value Points: extremely rare Lenci model of named celebrity actress/chanteuse wearing her original costume with garlands of felt flowers,yellow felt bonnet,matching organdy parasol,original petticoat and pantalets,and black heeled leatherette shoes.