Extremely Rare French Bisque Art Character, Model 219, from the Jumeau 200 Series

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20" (51 cm.) Bisque socket head with deeply-sculpted very expressive features, blue glass inset eyes in very narrow squinting sockets, lightly-painted all-around lashes, brushstroked and feathered brows, accented nostrils of rounded nose tip, mouth modeled in wide scowl with open curled-sideways lips, well-defined tongue, row of sculpted upper teeth, row of sculpted teeth tips at the lower lip, pierced ears, brunette human hair wig over cork pate, French composition and wooden ball-jointed body, wearing antique woolen trousers and double-breasted jacket with brass buttons, woven cap, signed Jumeau leather shoes, and carrying French pocket watch on fob. Condition: generally excellent, original body and body finish. Marks: 219 8. Comments: Emile Jumeau, circa 1890s, from his 200 art character series. This series was original created by him under commission from automaton makers who wished to have facial models that captured the mood of the mechanical actions they designed. Jumeau quickly realized that the models could also be created in classic doll form (with socket heads rather than the flat-cut neck that was needed for automata) and, in 1892, introduced his line. Always considered luxury pieces, few of the dolls were ever made, and this model 219 is exceptionally rare. The Jumeau Book by Theimer and Theriault, indicates that no examples were known at the time of publication of that book, and the 1899 Jumeau inventory stated only 41 examples existed in the Jumeau archives at that time, making it one of the rarest of the models, and likely the only extant example. Value Points: extremely rare model with outstanding sculpting of frown lines and eye and mouth indentations, finest quality of bisque and painting.