IMPORTANT 18TH CENTURY ENGLISH WOODEN DOLL IN ORIGINAL NUN HABIT, WITH BOX AND ACCESSORIES24" (

IMPORTANT 18TH CENTURY ENGLISH WOODEN DOLL IN ORIGINAL NUN HABIT, WITH BOX AND ACCESSORIES24" (61 cm.) All wooden doll with one-piece head and torso, slightly-elongated throat, strong carving of facial features, inset black enamel eyes, thick eyeliner, painted lashes, single stroke brows with feathering accents, eye corner and nostrils accents, closed mouth with center accent line, defined little chin, original complexion with blush cheek spots, dowel-jointed hips and knees of simply-carved legs, cloth upper arms, wooden lower arms with fork-shaped hands. Condition: generally excellent. Comments: English, mid-1700s, the presence of an English wooden doll in original nun presentation seems, at first, a contradiction, as Catholicism had been outlawed in England for more than a century, and, in fact, in the mid-1700s, anti-Catholicism was particularly virulent in England. Yet documents prove that not only did the religion thrive (albeit secretly), but secret convents for nuns did also, particularly among some members of the aristocratic class. This explains not only the presence of an English wooden doll as nun, but also the fact that this particular example, in a grand size and perfectly preserved, had been created for a member of the wealthy aristocracy. Who that family was still remains a mystery. Value Points: outstanding doll with intriguing provenance, fine original finish, is wearing her original nun’s habit, including leather hand-stitched shoes, and two linen purses (one with satin-stitch embroidery) and is preserved in her original paper-lined wooden box along with wooden kneeling stool, embroidered silk reticule purse, blue silk slippers, other accessories, and an embroidered linen work dated 1712. -- source link

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