Wonderful Old Carved, Articulated Wooden Dancing Doll
Oh, such a charming one! And quite an old one, late 19th century I'd think, wonderfully worn and smoothed with what surely has been a lot of handling, and I'd guess a fair amount of dancing, too. I really love the features of the hand-drawn face, eyebrows merging into nose and then great little pursed mouth with upturned corners, and a chin drawn below, plus a full head of hair. The wide chest, narrow waist, wider hips, and gracefully tapered arms make me think that the doll is female, and likely once wore a dress. The fingers of the small hands have been detailed with pencil, too. On the back side, an old hole where a thin dowel would have attached, to be held in order to make the doll dance. Great antique condition, with a truly wonderful patina and a nice sturdiness and weight for its size. The pins at shoulders and hips are all holding tight, and all of the limbs move with ease. The doll will sit with a little effort on the right sized thing while also learning lightly against a wa