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French or Italian boudoir/fantasy Dolls

  • Country: Italy or France
  • Source: Early 20th Century
  • Size (cm): 42
  • Material: Clothe

French or Italian  boudoir/fantasy dolls (Pierrot  and Polichinelle clown dolls were fashionable 1910s–30s)  A whimsical collection of three hand-made figural dolls combining pottery heads and limbs with tailored textile bodies, each conceived as a distinct character. The largest figure is signed “RW” on the right ankle, and all are constructed without rigid torsos, instead stuffed with cotton so the forms relax, drape, and settle with a soft, sculptural weight reminiscent of articulated puppets. One represents a clockmaker, holding part of a gear mechanism, with a watch face attached at the waist, clock hands forming his mustache, and a paper dial tucked into his jacket; another features a sleepy, moon-like face beneath a star-tipped cap; the third wears a small satchel slung across his waist. Together they read like characters from a theatrical troupe, poised mid-performance with narrative charm and expressive individuality.

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