Our latest French Court Doll, created for a special friend.
Although our field of expertise are English dolls, every so often it’s
interesting to colour outside the lines and this Lovely Lady is a perfect
example. Modeled after the infamous French court dolls of the late 18th century, this 17” example, dressed in the
height of the fashion is not all she appears to be. For those not familiar with
the French court dolls, they were a small collection of erotic novelties crafted
for the “amusement” of the nobility at the court of king Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette. The dolls were carved and modeled to be anatomically correct as
females, males and occasionally both ! In the case of our Elegant Lady, her “Je
ne sais quoi” lies in the fact that she is most definitely male from the waist
down. This being said, she presents beautifully as an exquisitely dressed
courtesan. As is the case with so many of these dolls a subtle craquelure and patina has been
reproduced throughout.
Her open robe, fashioned of a finely patterned 18th century silk brocade is
woven in subtle shades of drab peach, sage and jade green all accented with a
delicate black which is quite rarely seen on textiles of the period. To
compliment, fine silk tulle custom dyed in shades sage and pumpkin was hand
ruched has been applied throughout, set against black silk edging.
