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Nelling, Inc.

G e r m a n   D o l l s

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Early Kestner Pouty Child

$1,950.  

The reliability of Kestner quality continues to be a comfort to antique doll collectors across the globe, or wherever one of the multitudes of examples has found its most recent home.  This superb, 19" closed mouth girl, only incised with the number “13”, is no exception, with her warm brown glass eyes, multi-stroke brows and perfectly painted lashes, closed mouth with richly stained lips, pale, even bisque and soft shading. 

Earning special mention is her abundant and curly, honey brunette mohair, original wig, that goes on and on embellishing her beauty at every angle.  Underneath the wig is her original Kestner plaster pate. Her early Kestner composition body is typically heavy in nature and has straight wrists with early mitt-shaped hands.  Her limbs have a very old repaint and at the right ankle there is a crack in the paint. She wears a vintage mariner’s outfit in navy and white, wears an antique straw hat, whose red flower accents are repeated with her antique, red leather shoes.  Undergarments also vintage.  

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Rare Two Face "Elite" Googly

12"
Original Reversible Jacket

$1,600.
Made by Max Handwerck, the “Elite” marked, two-faced, bisque head googly is said to have been designed by William Goebel, circa 1915.  That classic, precocious googly face has side-glancing, rounded blue glass eyes, a watermelon mouth, round face and healthy shading…on both faces!  What differentiates them is the molded hat and hair featured on the two sides.

 One face features a red molded bisque hat with the Turkish insignia decoration on the front, and molded, short black hair peaking out from the sides.  The reverse face has the gray molded bisque cap that represents Austria, and molded, short blond hair on the sides.  From both sides you can see the molded and shaded ears shared by the two faces.  The body is a fully jointed, German composition body that is stamped with the red ink, Holzmasse mark, on the upper right rear shoulder. 

Quite clever is the original. reversible, wool flannel jacket that can be utilized to match either hat, just by removing, turning it inside out, and replacing it.  There are gold toned buttons that are cleverly inserted to accommodate both sides. Either jacket side is completed by the snug black linen trousers.  Black shoes and socks are vintage. 

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Original Munich Art Doll

$5,950.

In 1908, doll artist Marion Klautz displayed her exquisite creations at the Leipzig Fair in Germany.  It was a time of art reform and these dolls answered the calling for a lifelike expression of creativity in a doll business that dealt generally in very stylized, idealistic faces.  This is called the Munich Art Doll, is 19" tall, and has a head of thick, pressed composition with painted intaglio eyes, closed mouth with full lips, textured, gently colored  complexion and peaceful human presence.  The auburn mohair wig is styled in two side buns with center parting, and the head is on the traditional, fully jointed composition body that you would have found on most German bisque head dolls of the same time.   

Each of these dolls vary in mood from each other, but they all carry the same uninhibited quality that the impressionist painters unleashed on the art world.  The costume which consists of cotton undergarments and a thick corduroy petticoat, and a very frail silk dress, is original, however the condition of the black dress is very poor which is a shame.  To redress her would call for finding an antique costume with strong regional or country inspiration.  On her head she wears her original, high quality black straw hat with dark trim and she wears quality German shoes of leather. A seldom seen piece of art in 3-D.

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Louis Amberg "Baby Peggy" and Biographical Book

$725.

This delightful and rarer Louis Amberg shoulder head 21" girl, with head made by Armand Marseilles, is called “Baby Peggy” and has the mold number 982.  Although not an expensive doll, she carries plenty of character and pleasant personality, that she stands out from the multitude of dolly faces that were made during her period of production.  She has brown glass sleep eyes, a healthy face and cheeks, and a peach colored open/closed mouth with nice full lips, top and bottom. 

She wears her original, brunette human hair bobbed wig, and original, pre-1920 era, organdy dress with a waist level, button sash, flowing skirt accented with pink ribbon and lace accents. An openwork, antique cloche-like bonnet finishes her look.  Her shoulder head is on a fine, jointed kid leather body (left elbow area has a leather repair) with beautifully molded, bisque lower arms and hands.  To become familiar with her legacy, along with her comes a published book about Baby Peggy herself. 

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Kestner 257 Toddler

10 1/2"
All Original

$525.

A popular member of the Kestner character child and baby line is the 257 mold, who is shown here as a rambunctious toddler, given the five-piece, rotund composition body used with the bisque head.  The bisque is pale, lightly and evenly shaded, the eyes are blue glass with feathered painted brows, and the mouth open, with two teeth.  The original wig is a short cut blond mohair, whose sunny color is repeated in the original organdy, lace trimmed, ruffled play dress that, with time and moisture, has taken on a yellowish hue. 

The under slip shares the same lace trim with the dress so it is pretty safe to say this may be an original presentation throughout.  It is even found on the  hem of the one-piece cotton undergarment!  The mint green oilcloth, snap-closure shoes are vintage and appropriate.  At the top of the neck on the body, there is a chip of paint loss.  The tiny toddler is seen enjoying a bath in the German Marklin tube, stand and bucket available for sale separately on the furniture page. 

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Gebruder Heubach "Coquette", 12"

$695

Being one of the most beloved Heubach characters, the Coquette mold 7850 can cheer up any collection with her side-glancing, cheerful face and smile.  Her head is made of molded bisque and features either a pink or blue ribbon painted around the head, then finishing on the side of the head with a big molded bow.  This girl has the blue bow that adorns her blond, molded curls and she has a wide smile with molded teeth peeking out from between her lips.  Her body is fully jointed wood and composition  with straight wrists and she wears an antique, white eyelet dress with turquoise ribbon sash, matching her hair bow, and the color is continued with her vintage, leatherette turquoise shoes.  12" Tall.

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Kestner Gibson Girl

19"
Mold 172

$1,775.

The Kestner Gibson Girl represented a shift for women's role in society, which can be easitly seen by her upturned, confident look and stance. It was the early 1900's and in addition to the importance of being able to vote in elections, so could a woman wear fashion that didn't painfully cinch in the waist or crowd the elevator with a cumbersome bustle. The celebration of this new attitude was captured by the Kestner firm by this bisque mold, the 172, with her brown blass sleep eyes, original blond mohair Gibson styled wig, pensive brows, elongated, slim nose, pursed lips and raised chin on a finely molded shoulder plate.

 Also bisque and femininely posed are her lower arms, with one hand having a restoration to the index finger, and the other hand having a repaired thumb. The high quality, stuffed leather body has the fine, Kestner engineering with riveted joints and ease of articulation. She wears a seaside costume made of vintage fabrics made up of capri type pants and a front button jacket top with short sleeves and a sash around the waist. In addition, she has a white cotton swimming cap to keep her hair dry in the morning surf and a hooded beach cape to wear after swimming. So darling are her Summertime espadrilles to wear on the sand and onto the boardwalk and a basket of real seashells to show off to her lunchtime friends.

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Rare Kestner Character 182

14"
In Assortment Box with Three Extra Heads

$5,800.
This must have been a fascinating item to acquire in the day, as it was not only a wonderful character doll, a creative toy, an impressive gift item but it was, and remains to be, an awesome exhibition piece from the Kestner factory. It came in a few sizes, this one being in the smaller, 14" size doll.  The full doll is a Kestner character 182 with painted eyes, with two of the extra heads being painted eye 179 and 183 molds, and the glass sleep eye head being a 171.

The 182 is on a fully jointed Kestner composition body and it wears it's original factory chemise, and all of the heads have their original mohair wigs and are contained in their separate compartments of the original display box.  The outside of the box is covered with textured  red paper and has the Kestner factory label on one end.  The box was wear and part of the lid is missing on one side.                                     From the Sherryl Shirran Collection.

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more German Dolls go to page 2

nellingdolls@gmail.com

Post Office Box 4327  n   Burbank, CA 91503

    Cell (818) 738-4591   n Home Phone (818) 562-7839 

Don't forget to look at the Miscellaneous page!

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