14" (36 cm.) Depicting persons of the 18th century French court, the pair of wooden dolls include a gentleman and lady, each with elaborate carved hair, facial features, highly characterized anatomical features, and wooden lower limbs with carved and painted shoes. The lady has pompadour style coiffure with four horizontal rolls of curls at either side of the face, long looped curl at the back and a rolled coronet curl, strong facial features with painted details; the man has carved brown/grey hair with rolled curls at the sides and an extended carved ponytail behind. Each has hemp-wrapped upper torso and upper limbs, carved wooden lower limbs, and each is wearing its original silk and cotton transfer print costume with rich detail (see detail photographs), and the woman with tiniest pearl necklace and bracelets. Condition: very good, original finish throughout with typical fading and craquelure. Comments: from a remarkable series of dolls created during the mid-late 18th century representing figures of the French court, and used by members of the aristocracy to story-tell innuendoes and social scandals of the day, being sold from the collection of the late Claude Detave, noted Parisian antiquarian and collector. Value Points: rare dolls, uniquely one-of-a-kind, in original condition and having original costumes.