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Prune Doll

Prune Doll
1950-1970
Place of origin

Representing a man with a pipe and stave. The body and limbs are made of prunes slotted on to wire and bent into position. The head is a walnut with a wooden knob nose, black and white glass eyes embedded into the shell and the mouth indicated by a red painted line and the brows by black painted lines. The hands are brown paper.
The figure is dressed with a black stiffened felt hat decorated with a feather, a sleeveless coat of black felt, a waistcoat of red felt decorated with two white beads and a tie arrangement of dark beige cloth decorated with a pale green glass bead. Around the face has been tied a band of checked cotton (the impression is that the figure is suffering with a toothache. The left hand is holding a pipe made fom a naturally shaped piece of wood; in the right is a wooden stave with a V at the top.
The figure is held to a circular block of wood by the wire which pass through the legs. The outer rim is painted red and between the legs, glued to the top, is a card label with the maker's trademark


Object details

Object type
TitlePrune Doll (popular title)
Materials and techniques
prunes, walnut, wood, paper, wire, felt, glass beads, cotton
Brief description
Prune doll, representinmg a man; made in Germany, 1950-70
Physical description
Representing a man with a pipe and stave. The body and limbs are made of prunes slotted on to wire and bent into position. The head is a walnut with a wooden knob nose, black and white glass eyes embedded into the shell and the mouth indicated by a red painted line and the brows by black painted lines. The hands are brown paper.
The figure is dressed with a black stiffened felt hat decorated with a feather, a sleeveless coat of black felt, a waistcoat of red felt decorated with two white beads and a tie arrangement of dark beige cloth decorated with a pale green glass bead. Around the face has been tied a band of checked cotton (the impression is that the figure is suffering with a toothache. The left hand is holding a pipe made fom a naturally shaped piece of wood; in the right is a wooden stave with a V at the top.
The figure is held to a circular block of wood by the wire which pass through the legs. The outer rim is painted red and between the legs, glued to the top, is a card label with the maker's trademark
Dimensions
  • Height: 8¼in
  • Of base diameter: 2 7/8in
Marks and inscriptions
ORIGINAL A. Z. (card label nailed to base)
Credit line
Bequeathed by Susi Elizabeth Thoma
Production
Probably made in Nürnberg where such dolls are sold at Christmas in the Christkindelmarkt.

Attribution note: These are hand made and used for decoration.
Reason For Production: retail
Associated object
Collection
Accession number
B.14-1998

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Record createdMay 5, 1998
Record URL
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