#172

Rare Early Wooden "Smuggling" Doll Disguised as Mannequin with Painted Boots
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Fa*****se
$3,800
sold
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Estimate
$1,800 / $2,500
Description
32" (81 cm.) All-wooden doll with swivel head, simply-carved facial features, painted complexion over gesso, painted brown eyes with dotted lashes and thick brown upper eyeliner, painted nostrils, closed mouth with moon-slice smiling lips, brunette human hair on tacked-on muslin cap, heavy wooden oak torso which appears solid but has a wide wooden flap at the back which opens for access to hollow interior, wooden arms with jointing at shoulders and wrists, wooden upper legs with unusually-contrived hip jointing to allow use in mannequin pose, jointing at knees with carved detail of heeled black ankle boots with button closure. Condition: generally excellent. Comments: maker unknown, mid-1800s, the doll was likely presented as a mannequin or promotional figure which held hidden secrets inside for those in the know; its exact original purpose remains a mystery. Value Points: rare and fascinating folk doll, it was featured in the book The Rose Unfolds by Rosalie Whyel and Susan Hedrick, page 12.
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Stuart's Take

I often wonder what stories a doll could tell if it spoke. Imagine the adventures of a smuggling doll!