Antique 1910s Wax Doll Head Blonde Hair with Satin Turban - Doll Topper

This is a particularly attractive and unusual antique wax doll head, most likely dating to the 1910s, possibly the early 1920s, and originally intended for use as the head of a decorative ribbon doll or similar boudoir accessory.

The head depicts a fashionable young woman with delicately painted facial features and an elaborate period headdress. Her face has a soft, lifelike appearance, with heavily lidded eyes, dark arched eyebrows, rosy cheeks and distinctive, full red lips. The modelling and colouring give her a wonderfully expressive appearance, characteristic of fashionable decorative dolls of the early 20th century.

She has short blonde hair arranged in soft curls around her face and wears an elegant champagne-coloured satin turban, constructed with overlapping folds of lustrous fabric. The turban is embellished at the front with a decorative dark blue and metallic embroidered ornament, from which rises a dramatic spray of pale cream-coloured feathers.

An additional decorative feature is the string of small metallic beads suspended beneath her chin, forming a loop from one side of the headdress to the other. Together with the elaborate turban and feather ornament, this gives the doll a particularly striking theatrical appearance.

The head is fashioned in wax, a comparatively fragile material that makes the survival of these early decorative doll heads uncommon. Unlike porcelain half-dolls, wax examples are considerably less frequently found, particularly retaining their elaborate original-style textile embellishments.

The original metal mounting wire remains attached beneath the neck, suggesting that the head was intended to be incorporated into a ribbon doll, pincushion doll or another decorative novelty with a fabric body. The wire would have provided a means of securing the head to its original construction.

The combination of the wax face, blonde hair, satin turban, embroidered ornament and feather plume makes this a particularly appealing survivor of early 20th-century decorative dollmaking.

Measurements:

Height of head, excluding feathers and mounting wire: Approximately 1 7/8 inches (4.5 cm)

Condition: Very good condition, particularly considering the fragile wax construction and age. The facial features remain attractive and well defined, with some minor age-related wear to the painted decoration. The blonde hair is somewhat disarranged. The original mounting wire remains present but should be handled with care. Please examine the photographs carefully.

A charming and uncommon antique wax doll head, particularly desirable for its elaborate feathered turban, expressive painted face and surviving original mounting wire.