Posted 13 years ago
etropical
(2 items)
Hi!
If anyone can give me ANY information on this Lenci doll. I realize she is tatered but she does not have any holes on her body, just yellowed. Her dress has a Lenci Made in Italy tag. I can't find anyone to give me any information on her except dealers that want to charge me $150. I can't afford this. I would just like to know maybe the year she was made, how do I tell if she is a real Lenci and anything else.
Thanks so much!
Your doll is a Lenci and her dress tag is there . Look at bottom of feet often they are stamped Lenci also . She is wonderful . Likely from around 1930's but you need to tell us how tall she is also to determine more about her .
Her dress could be cleaned carefully as the dirt on her dress and pantaloons will cause the fabric to deteriorate . More info when you post height and check bottom of feet .
She is Lovely ! Love her and 150 to have her appraised is insane . Glad you didn't pay them that .
Oh thanks sooooo much! She does not have any markings on the bottom of her feet. She is 14" tall, has a little pearl necklace, her ears look double felted, all her fingers are separate except the two middle. Her hair is a little crazy but I am afraid to brush it that I may make it worse. If there are any other photos I should take let me know. Thanks again!
Your doll look like the Lucia Face But since her head is slightly bent down hard to tell . Are her eyelashes still all painted on ? Her hair needs to be done by someone used to doing it as it will shed . Her neck swivels right ? I think she may be missing a hat she may have had originally . Her hands are correct . Can you get a picture with her looking more up
Her neck does move but not all the way around just slightly from right to left. As you can see by the photo her lashes are still painted on. Are the red dots in her nostrils correct? Seems kind of weird. Her dress is definitely disinigrating, I am afraid to try and clean it. Thanks so much for all your help so far, I have not been able to find anyone to give me information.
Yes red in nostrils is correct . Your doll herself is in very good condition , The clothes are tagged a big plus however they show alot of wear and that is important to Lenci collectors. I do believe she is Lucia , My expertise is not in Lenci but have seen many .If there is a strict Lenci collector out there with a book with this dress on it would help . Does doll have long hair ? I am giving you a site to look at a Lucia but they do price their dolls very high and she is also in near Mint condition . Look at her face and yours and tell me what you think ok
If all else fails my friend is a expert and does doll appraisals all over USA and I will ask him. Keeping in mind condition and that doll prices have fallen . If she was mine I would do her hair and wash clothes but I have been doing that for a museum for over 30 yrs so am comfortable with it but if nt used to working with old fabric and hair best left to an expert . Be careful who you go to that says they are an expert . If you were in my state I could give you names but beware many people claim to be and really are novices and she is way to special to let someone damage her .
http://www.rubylane.com/item/513863-D301A/Lenci-Doll-Bambola-All-Original
Please remember that the doll I sent link to is priced way high and yours would be much less but still valuable
Thanks thanks thanks again!!! Yes her face looks just like the link you sent. Youa re right I am not comfortable trying to wash her clothes, she is WAY too delicate. Her hair looks like at one time it was pulled back with a band, clip or something as she has a small ponytail in the back (or maybe a bun?) I thought her hair was in poor shape but looks about the same as the doll in the link. Yes it does look like she should have a hat and her little boots, shoes are missing. WOW I can't thank you enough for all your help. Now I guess I need to find someone to clean her up, do you think it would be worth it for me to have this done?
She has a good value and I would only let her clothes get washed and her hair . But they can not get her face wet when doing hair . It will water spot her and that would be bad . She would most likely have had a bun or her hair all curled . I would curl it if it was me . We did not charge much so you should be able to get it done for about 30.00 hair and clothes more than that is to much . It is really up to you on whether to fix her or not . If your going to keep her or sell ? If you sell her let new owner do it but she will sell for a bit less if your keeping her and your not touching clothes and keeping her out of sun light and away from moths clothes could be left and hair too. Her hair looks like human hair vs mohair they did both kinds of hair . You can put her dress and pantaloons in cool water with a light soap like woolite . Just let them lay in water don't squeeze , soak for an hr and gently rinse don't ever wring or squeeze them as that could cause a tear . Lay them on thick towel and use another on top to press water out and let them dry flat . :-) They will not be pure white I won't have you try that , but they will last longer clean .
Once again thanks.... Unfortunately I cannot take her dress off, it is stitched at two points in the back (not on her body but the dress together) and I am afraid to snip the stitches and possibly destroy any authenticity to her. I did take off her pantaloons and have them soaking now. I would like to try and sell her as I have no place to keep her safe. I may try and curl her hair, it would look much better. One more question I have, should her legs be stiff? I mean feel hard when you press on them? They are jointed at the top but feel so hard to the touch,,,not like plastic like an old straw stuffing or something close. I truly wish there was someone close that I could have them inspect her in her real form. I am kind of afraid to have someone else wash her and fix her hair, you just never know. She has such a sweet face and I am thrilled to know her age, she has had many love her during her life. Do you know anyone close to Gainesville, Fl that may be able to look at her or possibly clean her up?
Yes their dress's were often stitched on . If your going to sell her I would let new owner do it . Now you can curl her hair . Just have to take a little hair at a time don't try to comb all the way a small piece at a time enough to put in a roller. It would be good if you dampen hair a tiny bit as you go it helps soften it again .
Yes her legs should be firm . Gee I don't know anyone off hand there . But if they want to charge 150 to appraise her I wouldn't go there . She will still bring a very nice price if you sell as she is :-)