597 - Porcelain Half Doll as a Rococo Lady with Legs and Fabric Skirt, presumably circa 1920

Porcelain Half Doll as a Rococo Lady with Legs and Fabric Skirt, presumably circa 1920 Half doll of porcelain, white glazed and painted in colour, depicted as a lady in rococo costume with white powdered, upswept hair and painted facial features, both arms raised and bent. In addition two separately made porcelain legs with gold-painted shoes. Upper body and legs are mounted on a round cardboard base with a blue underside; the widely flaring skirt of pink fabric with frills and gathers spans the base. Condition commensurate with age, rubbed in places, the dress with signs of age. 18x24x10 cm. Porcelain half dolls appeared around the turn of the 20th century and in the 1920s belonged to the furnishings of almost every middle-class household. More elaborate versions were delivered with separate legs which had to be mounted individually. Among the leading manufacturers were Dressel & Kister in Passau, Galluba & Hofmann in Ilmenau and Goebel in Oeslau, which around 1919 carried some two hundred main models of this type in its range. Costumes of the 18th century with powdered hair were among the most popular subjects alongside crinoline ladies and pierrettes.