I bought these dolls some time ago. They are beautifully made, and appear to date from the middle of the last century (or possibly earlier?) I suspect they were handmade, rather than commercially produced as the handiwork is exquisite.
Most are in Tudor costume, and some are kings and queens. They are about 10 inches tall, so far too big for a dolls house, but I wanted to share them on the blog. Who knows, somebody may know more about them???
The dolls are really beautiful, what a treasure to have! Happy New Year Liz!
ReplyDeleteExquisite IS the only word to describe these wonderful dolls. I am fascinated with their eyes. It would be interesting to know if the person that fashioned the dolls also painted their faces. They certainly are a treasure!
ReplyDeleteThey are terrific! They would fit in a 1/6th scale house, but there probably aren't too many Tudor houses in that scale! Maybe one day you'll find a large scale Victorian Gothic castle for them. I guess they were made for a display of kings and queens, or costume, or something like that. Wonderful work - and the faces are lovely!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Liz!
Thank you for your comments, and Happy New Year to all the friends who read this blog.. maybe one day I will find out more about the talented person who made these dolls.. Liz x
ReplyDeleteI can't help with who made them, but they are very reminiscent of the costumes in Laurence Olivier's film Richard III (1955). If I'm right the dolls in the first picture are Richard (Olivier) and Lady Anne (Claire Bloom), the man in the second picture could either be Clarence (John Gielgud) or Buckingham (Ralph Richardson), the woman is probably King Edward's mistress Jane Shore (a character not in Shakespeare's play), and the other man would be King Edward. These are fantastic. They could have been made commercially to cash in on the film, as promotions, or just by someone inspired by the film. I teach and research Shakespeare on Screen at a University and would love to know more about them (and own them, of course!).
ReplyDeleteHi there, thank you so much for your comment. I think that the dolls may have been by a talented and enthusiastic amateur. It would be hard to imagine them being made commercially as there is so much work put into them. I will have to look out for a copy of the film, it would be fascinating to compare.
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