Onsite
Highest Bidder
$15,000
Sold
sold
Click image to enlarge
- Estimate
- $6,000 / $9,000
Description
18" (46 cm.) Solid domed pink-tinted porcelain shoulderhead, painted facial features, small blue eyes, single stroke brows, closed mouth with outlined lips, firmly structured lady-shaped torso, hinged wooden arms and cone-shaped skirt which unhinges at center front to reveal a hidden surprise: a miniature fitted kitchen with lithographed tile paper walls and floors, paper-covered brick stove, and having shelves and hanging racks which are fitted with an abundance of tinware plates, pots, and utensils. Condition: generally excellent. Comments: French, circa 1860, with deposed porcelain head by Jacob Petit; there is at least one other example of the "surprise" kitchen skirt known which has signed "Par Brevet" Jacob Petit head. It is not known if the head was commissioned from him by another toy firm, or if he was the creator of the intriguing doll. Value Points: very rare novelty doll with original fitted contents and original costume.
Stuart's Take
That's quite a kitchen in a doll! Perhaps the finest one Theriault's has ever offered. A doll that was also beloved by Rosalie even after the museum closed. It held a place of honor in the dining room of her home for a decade after the museum.