Largest Seen Size 16 Antique French Bru Doll - Museum Worthy - Must Look

Being discovered in an attic was this amazing doll’s avenue to renewed life and appreciation. One look and I knew my passion for bringing you great French dolls would once again be realized. Taking into consideration that she was likely produced around 1890 during the Girard epoch of Maison Bru, her costume reflects a style common in that decade and she is now cleaned up and ready for a new home. Run, don't just walk to get in line for the chance to learn about her and maybe even wrap your arms around her. Is that your heart starting to pound a little faster?

Honestly, I had only seen a Bru head marked Bru Jne 16 A as a child mannequin I once owned. She fit right in with a family of mannequins that made their residence in a dedicated room of my home. But never have I seen an actual size 16 Bru DOLL. That may show how limited my exposure really is, compared to the world travelers, but It is always fun to own at least one or more large dolls that can complement child sized antique furnishings and clothing and act the part of children playing with your smaller dolls. I would love to hear from others and be sent photos of their acquaintance with one of the same size antique Bru. But not even in the well-known Bru book is a complete doll of this size 16 pictured. Search results of hundreds of Brus on a large doll auction houses’ web site brought no results for a size 16 Bru doll either. Most likely intended for the London Exhibition of 1890, this size doll certainly would be few and far between or a true RARE treasure of history. So please enjoy this seldom presented opportunity of reviewing her documentation in photos and meeting her practically in person.


BODY:

Standing 36” tall without her hat, she will definitely make her presence known in your collection. Her Girard epoch body has limbs made of solid wood, while her torso is a strong composition with a support dowel bar spanning the inner chest. The lifelike sculpting of her feet never ceases to amaze me as do her hands! The feet from the ball of the foot to the toes were sculpted or molded separately due to the losses of feet sculptors cutting against the grain. Seen in the photos, the paint has cracked slightly at these junctures but there has been no actual separation of the feet parts. Not repairs are necessary. This is commonly seen ever since Chevrot introduced the wooden lower legs on the bodies of his bebes which continued on into the bodies of the next epoch of Bru history. The coloring, affected by the finishing shellac has aged to a warm tone, yet is still the original finish with a few small touch ups here and there. There are signs of use throughout her body surface, whether for store display or an occasional session of play over the last 140 years of her history which have left a few tiny holes in the wood of her left thigh and some paint nicked or even chipped but over all, it is very good. Particularly in the joints the wood has become quite smooth so it is more difficult for those joints to have enough friction to hold her arms up when holding something of much weight.

She has been recently restrung by the sheer physical strength and knowhow of a seasoned doll doctor and assistant and is freshly able to assume poses she could hold for months on end, or even years into the future. One very nice thing about these primarily wood bodies is their agility and ability to pose where older Bru types are not usually found doing much other than standing. So have fun with her! Use your imagination to express you creativity with her as if she were a real child. There is nothing more healthy than using your imagination in "play" whether you are 5 or 85. It will bring joy to your heart and a smile to your lips, I can almost guarantee you, because I do it all the time! Do you relate?


HEAD:

Her bisque head has lasted all these years without damage, hairlines or repairs. She is in excellent condition with incised markings on the back of her neck reading: Bru JneR 16. Her large blue hand blown paperweight eyes, so human like, implore you to consider making a place of prominence in your home for her. A plethora of long, fine lashes surround those gorgeous shining jewels which remain in their original plaster set. The finely feathered brows show detailed attention given by the experienced artist who decorated her. There is a semblance to the brows of the Bru lady mannequins in contrast to the brows of earlier Bru bebes. Often brows from this later epoch were much thicker and not near as attractive as these, so I am quite certain she was decorated by a long-time craftsman that painted for the Bru firm for years. In addition, this doll was not likely being marketed to individual customers. In fact, besides likely being used at an exposition, she may have been on display for several years in the Bru Firms shop before they merged with other firms to form “SFBJ”.

For exposition dolls, they wanted the best! She appears to be early out of the mold, which makes sense if they didn't make many of this size! She has been given a beautifully blended coating of pompadour colored china paint over her pressed, snow-white bisque head. Though one cannot actually perceive it, china paint vitrifies in the kiln firing and becomes a thin, water color like glaze over the porcelain. Yet it is usually matt rather than shiny. Imagine a water color painting where the white paper shines through the colors. The same is true of these wonderful antique bisque dolls! I just realized something. As an art major in college, my emphasis was watercolor painting! I didn't discover antique bisque dolls until a couple of years after graduating, but no WONDER I fell in love with them and enjoyed replicating them so much!

The deepened tone of her cheeks reflects the healthy coloring of an active little girl. The same color has been used in even deeper tones to decorate her lips which appear to give the impression of a tongue tip. There is a lighter pink separation in the depths between her lips with the finest of accent lines at their pretty tips. Accent dots create further dimension in her inner eye corners and nostrils. Of little notice is a narrow, vertical, slightly rougher area on the surface of the bisque of her forehead which accepted the china paint color a little bit differently. It shows a tiny bit darker there. This is not visible with her wig on but you may barely notice it in photos without her wig. This is not something I failed to clean off. My dolls are always clean. Nor is it damage but is likely the result of the person who cleaned the greenware prior to the high firing overlooking to smooth it as well as it should have been.

Her ears are pierced with a tiny pin tip chip to the right hole completely hidden by the earring. At the buyer’s request, this can be touched with a little matching china paint to appear in it’s original state. She wears antique glass earrings made in a floral shape. Her very large, 18” circumference head is closed with a cork pate and is graced with a lovely and exceptional medium blond human hair wig that has been arranged in layers of long curls, looking very much like the wonderful mohair wigs with extensions. This was a perfect choice to gently frame the soft contours of her face.

CLOTHING:
There could be no better compliment to her facial coloring than a fine, lightweight silk of the same tones creating a lovely monochromatic scheme for presentation in her dress and hat. I have never encountered this weave of silk in the past, nor seen such fine chain stitch machine stitches. Someone enjoyed shirring, tucking, and inserting laces to the utmost in the design of this puffed sleeve dress. You will be amazed at the extent of the work creating such a light and airy frock when you see her in real life. Just a few close shots give you a taste of this “cotton candy” creation. Please note: The puffed part of the top of the sleeves has lamb's wool stuffed inside. If there may be an allergy to this, it could be removed and replaced with light netting.

No fine dress can look it’s best without the proper under things. Please see the fine white cotton split drawers and matching full slip with double flounce and pretty, broad, edge embroidery. Even her thigh high antique hand knit stockings have been lovingly preserved with careful stitches in one area.. She’s been looking for a corset her size but so far has had no luck. Her dark brown leather shoes which fit her perfectly are very well made replacements, even stamped with pride with the name of their maker on the sole.

Her fancy straw hat is covered with like textiles, treated with the same time-consuming attractive methods in a perfect matching manner. All it needs is a big scrumptious bow, don't you think?

There is so much left unspoken, so please enjoy the photos. You will certainly enjoy the hunt for the appropriate period salesman's sample or child's furnishings and accessories to place her in a stunning vignette and you may even enjoy a giggle as your doll club arrives at your home and each and every member’s jaw drops in amazement.

Please feel free to message me with any questions.
Any props used in photography are not included in this sale.

For domestic shipping for dolls higher than $5,000 in value, I use USPS Ground Advantage and add the Registered service to it. That is the most reasonable way to insure the doll for full value and assure secure save travels. It takes about a week to receive it but can save tens of dollars. Since Registered is not an offered option in our listing form, I will have to calculate the cost when I know the destination zip code. This will be the largest package I have ever sent.




LAYAWAYS WELCOME:
Short layaways are welcome and can be reserved when you check out. Please understand that a seller makes the decision on layaway sales and will send you a response of approval. A reservation applying for a layaway sale does not guarantee a sale. Another buyer arranging a shorter layaway would likely be approved over a longer one but we wish to help with custom layaways when necessary. Please be sure to read my Sales Policy link prior to purchase.