19th Century Wax Fashionable Ladies, Wax Coiffures and Original Costumes

Live Auction

16" (41 cm.) Each has wax-over-gesso shoulderhead of lady with very slender face and elongated throat, sculpted wax hair in very elaborate coiffure, pierced ears, brown glass inset eyes, painted features, closed mouth, wooden block torso and upper legs, wax-over-gesso lower limbs, painted boots. Condition: fair/good with wax repair, one with touch-up on lips, one wooden torso worn. Comments: Circa 1870, as indicated by original costumes, the maker and country of origin is unknown; another example is shown in Gerken's Wonderful Dolls of Wax, page 112. Value Points: rare, curious and appealing fashionable ladies, each wearing her original costume, one with exceptional detail of wax ringlet curls, has painted wax gloves, fancily-trimmed wax boots, and is wearing her original wedding gown with wax orange blossom bouquet and coronet, and unusual jewelry; the other has ornately-coiled chignon and is wearing purple sateen gown with Alencon lace trim, original earrings, and painted gold wax heeled boots with tassels.