$1,000
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sold
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Description
9" overall (23 cm). Posed upon a velvet covered wooden base is a German bisque head doll with blonde sculpted hair, painted facial features, muslin body, bisque lower limbs, wearing original costume of black and purple velvet with braid and lace trim. Hidden beneath her skirt are a multitude of folded papers, each inscribed with an ink script "fortune" in French. Condition: generally excellent. Comments: known as fortune telling doll or bebe a bonne aventure the novelty was a luxury presentation at French soirees throughout the 19th century. Value Points: rare to find fortune-telling dolls with their beautifully inscribed fortunes still preserved, particularly unusual in this petite size.