Vtg Artisan Rare Dollhouse Harlequin Girl Composition/Chalk Doll Signed RAD 1979

Description

I have some lovely artisan dollhouse miniatures and dolls that I am in the process of listing. Here I have a second of a pair of unusual artisan dollhouse dolls to offer, signed R A D and dated 1979 across her upper back. The doll is very artfully rendered as a Harlequin! The artist is obviously quite skilled, so it was surprising to me that I couldn’t find out more about him or her, try as I might. This whimsical mystery girl stands 5 1/2” tall and appears to be made out of some sort of clay or chalk composition. The material is quite light weight, whatever it is, and she is wire jointed at the shoulders and hips.
The doll is entirely molded and painted, including her hair, and wearing the colorful uniform of a harlequin performer. She has a fairytale quality, as though she just stepped out of the pages of a gloriously illustrated storybook. A mask hides part of her interesting face, but the intaglio eyes peek out in a mesmerizing way. She has great character features that include a small dimple in her chin, and a beauty mark just to the right of her rosebud lips. The costume is very detailed—completely coordinated from the top of her red pom-pom trimmed hat, to the red puffs on the toes of her shoes. She is in generally very good condition, but there is some paint wear. You can see some paint rubs on the left hip near the wire joint, and on the right hip and elbow—with a couple of tiny white spots showing on the back of the hat and right red sleeve cuff. Harder to see but essential to note is a tiny, tiny scuff on the tip of her nose. Still, she is a treasure and will surely liven up the dollhouse!
In the last couple of photos I show the harlequin girl with a doll by the same artist. You can see the similarities. The pink attired doll and other items shown are not included here, but pretty-in-pink girl can be seen in a separate listing! Please take a look!
Please see my other listings for more wonderful dolls and miniatures from this collection, keeping in mind that I would be happy to combine shipping whenever practical. If more than one item is won, please be sure to ask for, and wait for, a revised invoice combining shipping BEFORE paying!