Regrettably, there is always the doll that has no markings and leaves you guessing as to its origin. Noun. More articulated bodies that can be posed more freely, like jointed wood or composition bodies, are valued higher than stiffer papier-mâché or leather bodies. If a doll has its original eye construction and the original glue, chances are the glue is brittle and has lost its staying power. leaving black in all of the designs.’ Adtocolite - is a light, smooth composition ca.1916 . 4th Edition of 200 Years of Dolls by Dawn Herlocher, Find a professional appraiser, either online or through a local doll club or antique specialist, Take lots of photos, with the doll dressed and undressed, Include photos of marks on the doll's head and body. bisque synonyms, bisque pronunciation, bisque translation, English dictionary definition of bisque. Looking for information on the manga Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru (My Dress-Up Darling)? [2] Like the earlier fashion dolls, they were made for children and dressed in contemporary children's clothing. [1] China produced many inexpensive porcelain dolls that were sold in discount department and chain stores often as decorator pieces. Antique German and French bisque dolls from the 19th century were often made as children's playthings, but contemporary bisque dolls are predominantly made directly for the collectors market.[1][2]. Mass-produced porcelain dolls can still be found around the world in bargain stores retailing goods from China. [2] In response, the French doll makers began making dolls as a consortium under the name Société Française de Fabrication de Bébés et Jouets (S.F.B.J.) quotations . But prices vary widely depending on the quality and condition of the doll. The doll's value is cut in half if there is a crack in the bisque. Free shipping on many items | Browse your favorite brands | affordable prices. [6] Between approximately 1860 and 1890 most bisque dolls were fashion dolls, made to represent grown up women. The first porcelain dolls were made of Chinese porcelain (commonly referred to as “china”), and were glazed to produce a shiny look. When the buyer receives the doll, the packing material must be delicately removed and the pate/wig re-glued with a water-soluble glue. Mark (body stamp): Bébé Jumeau Diplome d' Honneur, Made in France Doll length, 19 inches; composition, ball-jointed body. [1] Kewpie dolls from the early 20th century were still made of bisque, and celluloid was also a popular material, despite the fire danger.[7]. In the case of bisque figurines of children, people in Victorian dress, shepherds and shepherdesses etc., these were made in their thousands in England and Germany mainly, during the late 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. [2] In the Passage Choiseul area of Paris an industry grew around making clothing and accessories for the dolls. Antique bisque porcelain dolls were manufactured in the mid-1800's through the early 1930's. The most expensive bisque doll ever sold went for GBP £242,500[8] (an art character doll made by Kämmer & Reinhardt). Most bisque dolls have a head made of bisque porcelain and a body made of another material. The head is painted more than once to create skin tones and facial characteristics, and then fired again after each layer. but these later French Bébés were often of lesser quality. Look for mold markings under the wig on the back of its head. Shine a light through the bisque from the inside to determine the integrity of the head and whether or not there is any hairline, crack or chip. 2. [2] These dolls came from French companies like Jumeau, Bru, Gaultier, Rohmer, Simone and Huret, though their heads were often manufactured in Germany. One of the … [1][3] It is usually tinted or painted a realistic skin color. [2][5] Parian dolls were made in Germany of white unglazed porcelain from the 1850s onwards. Not all dolls are made alike and the meaning of the numbers on a doll's neck will vary from doll to doll … Colloquially the terms porcelain doll, bisque doll and china doll are sometimes used interchangeably. But if the head is a flange construction with antique, glass eyes that open and close, and the head can be removed from the body, it's a good idea to insert soft packing into the head to stabilize the eye mechanism. [2] Foremost among these were the French Bébés from doll makers like Jumeau, Bru, Steiner and Gaultier, which grew in popularity between the 1860s and 1880s. NOTE: Not all dolls are marked, so don't agressively look for a mark by roughly handling the wig or bisque to the detriment of the doll. A thick cream soup made of puréed vegetables. [2][3] They vary widely in size, from lifesize down to half an inch. Although the condition of the body is not as crucial as the condition of the bisque head, still a doll with its original body or the correct body type will have greater value than a doll that has been re-assembled over time from mis-matched parts. Bisque dolls are characterized by their realistic, skin-like mattefinish. But collectors, when referring to antique dolls, make a distinction between china dolls, made of glazed porcelain, and bisque dolls, made of unglazed porcelain. A popular use for bisque porcelain was the manufacture of bisque dolls in the 19th century. As with other art forms, antique dolls grow in value when properly maintained. What had us puzzled for a while was the report that this doll has a … Antique German and French bisque dolls from the 19th century were often made as children's playthings, but contemporary bisque dolls are predominantly made directly for the collectors … Bisque dolls were made as commercial products in Germany for the toy rather than collector market until the late 1930s and Japan also produced many small bisque dolls in the 1920s and 1930s, often cold painted with oil colours, which have subsequently washed off. To examine a dome head baby doll, loosen the wire or cord around the neck flange, remove the head, and shine a light inside. Hailed by American dollmaking companies as unbreakable compared to bisque (also often called porcelain) dolls, the novelty of the new material for doll heads, coupled with World War I, helped to bring down the once-mighty German dollmaking industry, and helped to make America the premier dollmaking country of the early-to-mid 20th Century. Don't get impatient and gauge or scrape or do anything that might damage the bisque. [2], French and German bisque dolls began taking over the market after 1860, and their production continued after World War I. Bisque Bébé Jumeau, 19" Mark: incised 8 on neck . From around 1840 to 1880, china was used to make doll heads, hands, and feet. By the late 19th century childlike dolls overtook the market. [1][7] A few German manufacturers like Kestner also made more detailed dolls entirely of bisque with articulated necks, arms, or legs. They were intended for children of affluent families to play with and dress in contemporary fashions. China Dolls and Bisque Dolls. porcelain. It's not always possible to determine finite specifics of a doll unless the owner knows the history of the doll or has expert knowledge. How to say bisque. Dolls of the World Bisque Thimble Collection This post is for a complete set of 12 thimbles made of porcelain bisque (meaning they are fired once). Learn more. Does the body have its original patina or has it been repainted or restored by a curator? A bisque doll or porcelain doll is a doll made partially or wholly out of bisque or biscuit porcelain. [1][2], The earliest European porcelain dolls were china dolls, made predominantly in Germany between 1840 and 1880. Whether wood, composition or soft-bodied, each doll is uniquely different and each has a different feel and quality. If it feels hard and cold, this means that it's made of porcelain or bisque. Frozen Charlotte is a name used to describe a specific form of china doll made from c. 1850 to c. 1920. [1] The bisque head is attached to a body made of cloth or leather, or a jointed body made of wood, papier-mâché or composition, a mix of pulp, sawdust, glue and similar materials. Many now are from Japan but originally were made in Europe and sold for a penny!. The second firing of the painted doll was usually not done which is why so many have worn paint from play. [1] Antique German and French bisque dolls from the 19th century were often made as children's playthings, but contemporary bisque dolls are predominantly made directly for the collectors market. While examining the head, examine glass eyes for any chips or hairlines. Bisque [pottery] Bisque porcelain is unglazed, white ceramic ware. For a dome head, the opening is at the bottom of the head, which is not always accessible. Is it original to the doll? Beginning in the 1850s, demand for a more realistic skin tone called for a new technique. How to pronounce bisque. When bisque dolls began appearing in France during the 1850s, their matte finish offered a trendy, realistic alternative to the glossy china dolls popular at the time. Traumatized by a childhood incident with a friend who took exception to his love of traditional dolls, doll-artisan hopeful Wakana Gojou passes his days as a loner, finding solace in the … At about the same time, just before the Second World War, hobbyist production of reproduction dolls, firstly elaborately moulded female doll heads from the 1860s and 1870s, began in the US with doll artists such as Emma Clear. In the 1980s bisque dolls had a revival with the growth of the collectors market and towards the end of the 20th century production began to move to China. Examine the mouth, teeth, and lips, and look for any signs of deterioration or restoration. The wig will readily peel upwards when ready if the wig was glued with a water soluble glue. All Bisque. [2] Many came from the Thuringen region, which has natural deposits of the clay used to make the dolls. Their popularity came from the realistic resemblance the bisque porcelain bore to human skin. Bisque was the most common material for doll heads until the turn of the 20th century, when composite material took … The cool, smooth skin along with the artistic painting gave the dolls a very realistic look that still attracts doll … A bisque doll or porcelain doll is a doll made partially or wholly out of bisque or biscuit porcelain. Sleep eyes are mounted on a rocker mechanism which has a pendulum action. Antique bisque dolls are collectible and can be quite valuable. This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license. Other Bisque Dolls. In the doll world, "bisque" is usually the term used, rather than "biscuit". For the 2005 Hungarian film, see, Société Française de Fabrication de Bébés et Jouets, "An Introduction to Bisque Dolls - About.com", "A Brief History of Antique Dolls, Part II - About.com", "Glossary of Doll Collecting Terms - Composition - About.com", "An Introduction to China Dolls - About.com", Antique Victorian Porcelain Doll Heads - LoveToKnow Antiques, "Top 10 Antique Dolls For Collectors on a Budget - About.com", https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22200/lot/19/, Henri Launay, French doctor to dolls - The New York Times, Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bisque_doll&oldid=984788872, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 22 October 2020, at 03:06. All Bisque - dolls under 15" tall, made of all bisque material Alphabet Doll - China head doll alphabet print fabric body. [1] Bisque is unglazed porcelain with a matte finish, giving it a realistic skin-like texture. Another branch of bisque doll making that also emerged during the 1940s in the USA was "artists dolls" which were original creatively designed and moulded dolls that were not copies of 19th century or early 20th century dolls, or cast from earlier dolls. Shine a light through the bisque from the inside to determine the integrity of the head and whether or not there is any hairline, crack or chip. Reproduction and artist made bisque dolls still appear but the scale of the hobby is not as great as in the 1980s. 1942, Emily Carr, The Book of Small, "Ways of Getting Round," [1] Next Christmas she sent us bisque dolls, very lovely but too breakable to hug; we could not even kiss them but they cracked. Remember, when you mail a doll with moving parts, it will sustain reverberating shockwaves on the inside of the package and to your doll. bisque doll ( plural bisque dolls ) A doll made partially or wholly out of bisque porcelain . [10], "Porcelain doll" redirects here. [2][9] Among the French Bébés early dolls from Jumeau and Bru generally go for several thousand dollars, while later S.F.B.J dolls may be worth only a few hundred. Bisque dolls are collectible, and antique dolls can be worth thousands of dollars. [1][4] Doll bodies are only rarely made entirely of bisque because of its fragility and weight. This production was at an industrial rather than hobby/studio scale. German Bisque from Old Molds. Bisque Head. The body of the doll is usually made from a different material, such as kid (soft leather) or cloth. Generally, manufacturers of antique bisque doll heads, impressed the molds on the back of the neck with identifying information such as the company's logo, country of origin, siz, etc. ... meaning … [2] Among German dolls, the character-faced dolls are the most collectible, with rarer dolls fetching several thousand dollars. Bisque definition, a thick cream soup, especially of puréed shellfish or vegetables. This is the fun part. Though both were made from porcelain, collectors refer to unglazed tinted dolls as bisque and shiny glazed dolls as china, while the term porcelain is often reserved for contemporary dolls. To see the marks and to identify the doll, gently lift the hair up at the back of the neck to expose the mark. Depending on the kind of doll involved, the numbers on a doll's neck can mean either a mold number, a patent number, a date, or it may be some other type of identifier. [2], Up until the mid-19th century, most dolls were made to represent grown-ups, and when childlike dolls first appeared it was a big shift. Bisque dolls usually have eyes made of glass. [2][7], Bisque was the most common material for European doll heads until after the turn of the 20th century, when composition (or composite) gained favor. Find out more with MyAnimeList, the world's most active online anime and manga community and database. They had their peak of popularity between 1860 and 1900 with French and German dolls. A popular use for bisque porcelain was the manufacture of bisque dolls in the 19th century. Find a listing of marks by manufacturers: Look up mold numbers in a price guide to find out a doll's value and a little bit of history about the doll. Note also the condition of the eye wax and the lashes if any. Go to next slide - Shop by Category. To prevent that mechanism from rattling against the bisque in transit, the inside of the head needs soft packing to stabilize the rocker. Define bisque. Look for markings on the body, arms, and legs, as well as on the bottom of the feet. [2] At the lower end of the price range are dolls that can be found for a few hundred dollars, like dolls from Armand Marseille and common types of dolls from Kestner. Parian ware is a 19th-century type of biscuit. [2] China dolls were made of white glazed porcelain, giving them a characteristic glossy appearance, and their hair was painted on. The porous nature of bisque earthenware means that it readily absorbs water, while vitreous ware and bone china are almost non-porous even without glazing. [2] The earliest ones are often referred to as dolly-faced dolls and were made by companies like Armand Marseille, Simon & Halbig, Kämmer & Reinhardt [de], and Kestner. [2], German childlike dolls were predominantly produced between 1890 and 1930. These were high quality dolls made with great skill. Bisque dolls first came on the market in the 1860s, and continue in their production today. Often a professional appraiser can identify the maker of a doll by unique characteristics of the bisque molding and painting without even seeing any mark. b. The German Doll Company, owned by American and German partners, purchased an estimated 30,000 original molds used to make bisque figures during the late 19th and first third of the 20th century. Showing slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES} - Shop by Category. Bisque dolls are collectible, and antique dolls can be worth thousands of dollars. [1] Other qualities include closed mouths and expressions that are not "pretty" such as a character face that is crying. Sometimes, on German and French dolls, the manufacturer will mark the body with stamps or incised marks. [1] Production of composition dolls was strong in the United States. The related term, biscuit, refers to pottery that has been fired but not yet glazed. Oct 13, 2017 - The Penny Doll was porcelain or bisque and is often misnamed as a Frozen Charlotte. 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