Three weeks to the auction this doll! The lovely Madame de Pompadour! And it's not just her alone. She comes with a set of precious, hand made playing accessories. Let me tell you about them all.
To begin with we have these tiny 24k gold-plated hair combs with 7 Ruby stones between them. I made the three combs in the French fashion by hand out of Bronze, while the little ships were found antique Sterling Silver brooches. I had repurposed them into hair accessories for Madame de Pompadour's three (3) interchangeable, magnetic wigs!
The first, is this Formal Court wig made from natural silk fibre and varnished in place over a hollow foam frame. Don't let the size fool you - this wig is ultra light, weighing only 66 grams (2.3 ounces)! It stays on the doll with just one little magnet. I'm really proud of this one, so proud in fact, that I had made a special glass display case for it... and then engraved it for good measure. Why? Because...why not?Then there is this 'casual' wig that was inspired by Francis Boucher's 1756 portrait of Madame de pompadour. Simple, light and lovely, it's made from the softest Angora fibre and sewed into a permanent ringlet style with tiny antique silk flowers and ribbons.
The third, is the long wig seen in the first photo. Made from snow white natural Mohair, it is loose and long for styling, brushing, braiding, curling and playing.The next accessory, is this lovely pin cushion arm chair made with a wooden candle holder from Michael's (!!!) and rose Indian silk. The golden metal threads in the silk catch the light and echo the gold ships in the wig! The architectural chair topper is fretted out with a hand saw from a thin sheet of pine, in the style of Art Nouveau.
Madame de Pompadour also comes with a pair of 14k gold-plated and enamelled shoes, a pair of pearl earrings, a heavy steel stand, a bouquet of antique silk flowers and of course, a beautiful custom tin box.
All in all, there are 16 separate accessories for this very special doll. The auction is 3 weeks away, on November 30th-December 3rd. Get ready!