Posted 10 years ago
cal6842
(18 items)
Clad in soft leather with beads around neck in sitting position , found at a estate sale had a old looking tag on him that said " Old Red Feather "and at bottom of tag Looks like writing said Apple Head Dolls ?? The arms look like they are made of bone or some material like bone .Any info as to it's value or history would be very appreciated !
I don't know a whole lot about Kachina dolls, but the hair is real and probably did belong to "old red leather" himself!
Iroquois Applehead doll ? A very rare style of cornhusk doll is the applehead. Very few of this type of doll have been discovered that are more than a few years old.
An apple is peeled and sculpted with facial features then allowed to dry. The shrunken dried head is attached to a cornhusk body, either as a head or a mask, and then dressed in miniature cloth or leather clothing.
Why these dolls have faces and others types of cornhusk dolls do not is unclear. Little is known about their origin. What is the body of your made of ? Are arms or legs cornhusks ? Very nice doll and collectible .
Thanks for your info , The arms/legs are not corm husks cannot make out what because the leather is stuck to it, but it feel more like small bamboo , if that tells you anything, I would like to say thanks to everyone , your comments are appreciated.
I corrected my original statement The label reads "Old Red Feather " not Leather. and the arms appear ( I can only see the ends) to be made of bone or a similar material , How would I find out if this was recently made or ilder ? Thanks to all who comment !!!
It is older piece . Are legs movable or carved ? What are they made of ?
One foot looks like corn husk under where shoe is wore off ?
The legs/arms/body are not flexible , they seem to be made of maybe bamboo or bone, (see end of arms in photo )
How is his clothing stitched together? And what are the beads made of? He is very handsome.
His clothing appears to be attached by glue? and upon further inspection I believe his arms/legs are made of a rigid form of leather. The beads appear to be glass or ceramic . This info from me has to be taken with the knowledge that I am not at all sure that what appears to me is actually what it is ( Hope that makes sense to some ) !!! Thanks again for all the comments I am so glad to get them !!!