#26

Wonderful Collection of Bon-Bonnieres with Queen Victoria Provenance
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Live Auction

Onsite
$2,500
sold
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Estimate
$3,800 / $4,400
Description
6" (15 cm.) doll. One-piece all-bisque doll with sculpted brown hair enhanced with narrow braid at her crown, painted facial features, well modeled body details including sturdy pose and curled fists, original festive costume, along with a number of fancily-decorated bon-bon figural boxes including a pair of drums with diamond-shaped design and applied raised drumsticks; velvet covered bucket with bail handle and drawstring silk pouch; paper mache potato with removable lid; paper mache apple with removable lid; top hat with blue silk drawstring pouch; double-sided paper mache picnic basket with handle; gilt paper bellows with blue velvet siding; blue wooden barrel, along with figural beetle and figural dog on ruffled cushions. Excellent condition. Circa Provenance: an early paper reference with the collection indicates the doll once graced the top of a Christmas tree at Queen Victoria's party given for her servants; at that party each servant was presented a bon-bon box with a golden sovereign. The doll and remaining bon-bon boxes were gifted to Christopher Elder who was Steward of the Servants, and was thereafter passed along within his family. The collection was featured in an article in Country Life, December 1977. An exceptional luxury collection of candy boxes with intriguing history.