$15,500
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sold
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Description
24" (61 cm.) A bisque-head lady with refined
portrait modeling is posed standing upon a
velvet-covered stand,having brown glass
paperweight eyes,closed mouth,brunette human
hair,bisque shoulder plate,carton torso and
shapely legs,bisque forearms and hands,wearing a
superb silk costume in the 18th century style,with
matching bonnet and silk ruffle-edged apron,and
holding a shepherdess crook. Appearing to be held
in her right hand is a woven lidded basket is
which is tucked a little lamb; the basket is
actually attached to her torso by hidden metal
rods. Movements and Music. Her head turns as
though gazing at her flock of sheep while she
lifts her crook to guide them along. Meanwhile the
lid of her basket lifts,as though the baby lamb is
just awakening. The lamb's head peeks out,turns
side-to-side,and his mouth opens and closes. The
shepherdess turns and nods at the baby
lamb,gestures her crook tenderly as though to say
"go back to sleep". The lamb bleats and tucks back
into the basket. The lid closes. There are six
movements and one tune. Jean Roullet,Paris,circa
1880,with commissioned bisque portrait head from
the doll factory of Emile Jumeau,marked "Depose
Tete Jumeau Bte SGDG 7". The automaton,known as
"Shepherdess with Lamb" appeared in an early
Roullet catalog named Berg_re Watteau in homage to
the French painter Jean-Antoine Watteau whose
early 18th century romantic paintings had
idealized the French countryside. In variations of
the automaton,the lamb was substituted by a baby
goat,and the crook by a bouquet of flowers.
$15,000/21,000