A very rare and important late 17th/early 18th century wooden English doll with carved head and delicately painted features including three beauty spots, with nailed-on fair hair held by an elaborate banding on the back of the head with a metal clasp, the jointed and painted wooden body in original clothes comprising a white cotton shift, yellow and wool petticoat, spotted brown open robe and underskirt, with pink silk damask fichu above a mid-blue silk boned corset and with wine velvet mittens and shallow-crowned broad-brimmed straw hat with blue ribbons, with wine knitted silk stockings and rose knitted garters and suede shoes.This doll has passed by family descent to the present owner. In the early 18th Century the Wedgeborough family, from whom the doll came, were in partnership with the Hope family as timber merchants doing business in Amsterdam. This doll is believed to have been brought back from Amsterdam at that time.Only 23 dolls of this type are known; this doll is described as Figure 2 in the article by Bunny Campione which was published in ‘Dolls, The Collector’s Magazine’ June/July 1992 issue, and also ‘Puppenmagazine’ December 1992.
A fine Jumeau Carrier-Belleuse Triste child doll with large fixed blue glass eyes, shaded lids, pierced applied ears, softly painted brows with brush strokes at the tip, open-closed mouth with white line between the lips, long fair hair wig and jointed composition body, 1880s, impressed 15 and stamped in blue on body ‘Jumeau Medaille d’Or Paris’.In 1879 the French Emperor’s sculptor, Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse was commissioned by Jumeau to fashion an epicene head, to be used as that of either boy or girl. Carrier-Belleuse is reputed to have used a portrait of King Henry of Navarra at age four as model and the design became known as Jumeau Triste.This doll belonged to one of two sisters, Evelyn and Saphia Oakey who lived in France as children. Their father was the inventor of Emery cloth and started a firm called English Abrasives in Wellington Mills which was south of Waterloo station, which existed until approximately 20 years ago.
A Roullet et Decamps ballet dancer automaton with Jumeau bisque head, original costume, on velvet-covered base with going-barrel movement playing one air and causing the figure to pirouette in a circle while looking from side to side, alternately bending at the waist and balancing with her left leg, late 19th century.
A rare Vichy automaton of a pumpkin eater with papier-mâché head, in original brocaded silk waistcoat with high collar, figured black silk back and mother-of-pearl buttons, apron, chef's hat, breeches and striped wool stockings, on circular base with going-barrel movement playing two airs, late 19th century. One of the rarest figures produced by Vichy, the Pumpkin Eater displays a darker humour than usual in French automata of this period. The figure waves his left arm and lowers his head to watch the pumpkin, the central section of which opens three times to reveal a mouse. On the third occasion he attempts to kill the mouse by plunging the knife into the pumpkin while his hat rises simultaneously. The pumpkin closes and the sequence begin again.
Pat and Nora Teddy Bears - 'Pat', a rare black Steiff teddy bear, circa 1910; and 'Nora', a Strunz teddy bear with pale blonde short mohair and white wool skirt, knitted white jumper, underwear and boots with a silk parasol, 1908;
A Jeu des Montagnes de la Terre, France, (Game of Mountains of the Earth), maker’s mark E.G., a paper-covered globe in the centre with two sailing and two steam/sailing ships going around. Famous mountains mentioned include Everest, Kilimanjaro and Mont Blanc, late 19th century.
A rare and fine French pull-along toy of Punchinello riding the moon, when pulled the turning wheels cause Punch to move his head and the moon wiggle his tongue.Punchinello, Pulcinella, often called Punch in English, Polichinelle in French, is a classical character that originated in the ‘commedia dell'arte’ of the 17th century and became a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry. His main characteristic, from which he acquired his name, is his extremely long nose, which resembles a beak.
A Masudaya (Japan) tinplate Non-Stop ‘Lavender’ Robot, battery-operated, lithographed tinplate with box lid, late 1950s, early 1960s.One of the famous ‘Gang of Five’; five Masudaya robots of the same shape, with different designs: Non-Stop, Target, Radicon, Sonic and the rarest Machine Man.
A fine Schuco (Germany) clockwork Charlie Chaplin, tinplate, part flock coated and felt clothes, in original box with illustrated lid, 1930s.
A German wooden boxed folding schoolroom for the Spanish market with seven desks, clock, calendar, alphabet, blackboard, maps of the Canaries and Balearics, picture of Saint Luis Gonzaga and a telephone, the six pupils and teacher of painted composition, one child modeled kneeling and weeping into her pinafore, early 20th century.
A Märklin tinplate and china Bathroom with bath, sink, shower, mirror and towel rail, concealed water tank in back wall, allowing water to run from taps and shower, painted floor to represent tiles, 1920/30s.
German Elastolin WW2 Propaganda toys – a composition Adolf Hitler saluting with podium, a wooden SA Heim head quarters building, twenty three Hitler youth band including mounted and flag bearer, late 1930s.
An 'Al Jolson' working model coin-operated automaton, with three black articulated papier-mâché figures in original costumes, two playing guitars and the central figure singing, the electric motor with record player and speed control causing the three figures to rock from side to side, the guitar players to move their eyes and strum, the singer to move his arms and lower lip, in glazed oak case with draped fabric interior, painted topflash, speaker and a removeable matching base with cast iron lion's paw feet.American Al Johnson (May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Russian born singer who used to black-up in the American minstrel style. He was one of the most famous entertainers in the 1920s-30s and was the star of the first full-length talking movie “The Jazz Singer”; his most famous hit songs were “Swanee” (1919) and “My Mammy” (1927).
The collection belongs to Sofia Fundation Greece.
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