Antique Japanese Bride Doll, Early 1900's, RARE!!

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NAME: Antique Japanese costume doll of a bride. Included is an old bouquet of flowers.

AGE: Late Meiji (1868-1912) to early Taisho (1912-1926)

SIZE: 8" (20.3cm)

CONDITION: She was stored well. I see no bug or rodent damage and her kimono has no signs of fading. There is some light age related soiling and one small dark spot on her white underkimono in front.

I always look at the face with a magnifying glass to check for cracks or chips. I found that the nose on this doll does not have the shine of the gofun finish. Hard to speculate why it does not. It is not noticeable otherwise.

NOTES: Her face and kimono are quite lovely and eloquent. Her mouth is open slightly and you can see her tongue. The kimono is made of crepe silk and has hand painted cranes and two mon (family crests). She has the traditional gofun finish. The hands are feet are carved wood. Each finger is dinstinct as opposed to a "mitten" look. She stands on a nicely carved piece of wood.

There is a special sheen that the finish of dolls made with the oyster shell gofun have. This doll has it. It's my understanding that egg shells were used starting in Taisho period.

This is the first antique bride doll that I have come across. There is no comparison to the vintage and plastics dolls being produced today.

This product was added to our catalog on Friday 10 September, 2010.