Very Rare German Bisque Characters,"Max" and "Moritz" by Kammer and Reinhardt

Live Auction

16" (41 cm.) Each has bisque socket head with unique and highly characterized facial features depicting a mischievous urchin,brown or blue glass sleep and flirty eyes,painted fringed upper lashes,modeled comma-shaped arched brows,rounded nose,closed mouth with devilish smile,accented lips,dimpled cheeks and philtrum,mohair wig,composition fully-jointed body with sculpted and painted shoes and socks. Condition: generally excellent. Marks: K*R Simon & Halbig 123 (or 124). Comments: Kammer and Reinhardt,circa 1915,depicted are the characters "Max" and "Moritz" from the original children's stories by German Wilhelm Busch; although written in the mid-19th century the stories remained popular favorites until well into the 20th century and were the inspiration for the American comic strip characters in The Katzenjammer Kids. Research indicates the doll models may have been created and marketed to promote that series. Value Points: outstanding quality of modeling,bisque and painting on the very rare characters,each with distinctive characteristics from the other,and used for no other model,with distinctive bodies created for these dolls only. Few pairs of the rare dolls are known to exist.