heavy ornate statue/doll gilt?

[jerseyben]

Found this heavy statue/doll in an attic filled with other assorted junk. I think the metal is lead with gold leaf or gold paint covering it. The metal underneath is starting to chip/fade in places and it looks dark grey, like lead. The face looks like porcelain (my mom thinks it is ivory but I highly doubt it). The arms have small square openings where the hands would go, almost as if they would connect to something? There are no marks or stamps anywhere on the entire piece. Weighs a few pounds and is about 8-9" tall. I am pretty sure it is hollow inside.

 

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[stefen]

I suspect that you have a part of a gold gilded bronze sculpture with a carved ivory face...the base is missing...

Don't clean except with a damp cloth...

Could be extremely valuable...

 

[DigginThePast]

Her hands and base are missing.

#1140, about 1/3 down the page.

http://www.dargate.com/cat/248_auction/248_images/248art.htm

 

[jerseyben]

Very cool and thanks for the quick ID!

I don't imagine that its worth much of anything without the base and the hands...

 

[bradyboy]

agree it could be worth some bucks
I'm curious about the missing hands - would they also be made of the same material as the face
can we see pics of the end of the arms?
Brady

 

[stefen]

Hands are most likely ivory...I believe it was either French it Italian...

There was a similar sculpture on Antiques Roadshow and was appraised quite high...can't find but I'm thinking $20K...

I'd check around for the missing pieces...you may have stumbled onto a good find...

 

[DigginThePast]

The sculpture in the link I provided above is an exact match. Well not exact, it has hands and a base.

Identified by the auction house (general as no mark is present) and offered complete with one damaged hand in January of 2006 with a $100-$200 estimate.

 

[jerseyben]

The sculpture in the link I provided above is an exact match. Well not exact, it has hands and a base.

Identified by the auction house (general as no mark is present) and offered complete with one damaged hand in January of 2006 with a $100-$200 estimate.

Yes and thank you. I can tell it isnt brass or bronze based on the metal I can see underneath. The face doesnt look like ivory when viewed under a loup (probably bakelite). A very cool piece but it is what it is (as identified by the auction house). Sadly, it is not a hidden gem but a cool relic of the past nonetheless. It will be finding a home at my mom's house (she asked me to research it's origins).