Porcelain doll: from the past to the present

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:45

Porcelain dolls have always been the envy and desire of not only experienced collectors, but also ordinary people.

After all, a porcelain doll in the house is a sign of prosperity, respectability and a certain selectivity. They think so because this doll is probably the only one of the existing types of dolls, the purpose of which is so ambiguous. On the one hand, the porcelain doll was once a child's toy. But over time, she somehow lost this function and gradually migrated to the category of antiques, collectibles and interior accessories. Today, a porcelain doll is also a "toy", but in most cases only for adults.

Where and when did the first dolls appear

Porcelain doll, whose history began in the middle of the XVIII century, was first made in Europe, namely in countries such as Italy, France and Germany. The first copies were born in 1730. The next 2 centuries became a period of heyday and the spread of fashion for such toys around the world. The peak of production (if I may say so, because dolls were first made only by hand) fell on the period from1750 to 1930 A porcelain doll from these years is now considered a valuable antique.

Distribution of porcelain dolls around the world

German and French masters were the most active in making dolls. Each of them was originally made exclusively by hand and was thus exclusive.

However, later, in order to meet demand, the dolls began to be produced industrially. But even this did not deprive these beauties of their inherent charm. Such dolls became toys for children from many countries, and adults bought them for their collections. French and German dolls were in special demand and were known far beyond the borders of their homeland. Puppet masters from France amazed with their creations, presenting them in expensive luxurious decorations. German colleagues, perhaps, were more restrained in this regard, but the strength, reliability and good quality of their dolls fell in love with buyers more than French immodest luxury.

Doll story

With the help of porcelain dolls, fashion for outfits and accessories was popularized among the general population. There were such specimens, to which, in addition to one decoration, several more interchangeable ones were attached, as well as cosmetics and other decorations. Particularly fashionable and popular were dolls equipped with a whole "dowry": they came with a whole doll house with furniture, dishes, a removable wardrobe, cosmetics, umbrellas, bags, etc. Moreover, these items were almost real, only very small in size.. And clothes from the wardrobestrictly corresponded to the fashion of those years. In addition, doll dresses were very different: for balls, for dinners and lunches, and even for receiving guests - in a word, for all occasions. The “hostess” herself anatomically surprisingly resembled a real lady: porcelain made it possible to create completely naturalistic facial features, and it was not difficult to decorate such material. The effect was enhanced by the eyes of the dolls: they were made of glass. Moreover, for each young lady they were different, since the color of the iris did not repeat.

Dolls in Russia

Dolls with a dowry were not only toys for children from we althy families. Often parents or even childless people bought dollhouses for themselves. At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, such a phenomenon became extremely fashionable in Russia as well. This is confirmed by the fact that many famous representatives of the nobility, merchants and intelligentsia had porcelain dolls in Moscow. And they were mostly men. Today, the demand for the porcelain doll is back. As before, handmade work and naturalism of the image are valued. Such copies sometimes cost more than one thousand dollars. But there are also less expensive dolls. No matter the price, they will always make a wonderful gift or decoration.