#121

Early German All-Wooden Fully-Articulated Doll with Character Expression
Live Auction

$1,600
sold
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Description
23" (58 cm.) All-wooden doll with swivel head, painted brown hair with sculpted details, highly-characterized facial features including defined eye sockets, painted brown eyes with red and black upper eyeliner, tinted brows, rounded nose, closed mouth, sculpted ears, fully-articulated body including ball-swivel waist, dowel-jointing at shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles, well-defined fingers and toes. Condition: very good/excellent, two finger tips broken, original finish with possible early touch-up on nose. Comments: early/mid-1800s, the mannequin figures appeared in early catalogs of German wholesalers at this time, usually with standard simply-carved heads; models such as this and the following lot were created under special commission with distinctive portrait like features. Value Points: rare and most artistic early wooden doll with compelling expression. Ex-collection Robert Capia, the noted late Parisian antiquarian.