October Fall Classic
Lot 1361:
Description
This is a fantastic example of a vintage Art Deco-era display head, likely dating to the late 1920s or 1930s. These pieces were essential for displaying hats, jewelry, and scarves in high-end department store windows. The style is classic flapper/jazz age, featuring a painted composition or plaster body with a sleek, close-cropped bob haircut, often called a Marcel wave or finger wave, and the characteristic downward gaze and stylized, elongated features. The head is currently presented on a simple, modern black wooden block base, though the head itself is a bust designed to stand on its own or a display rod, as evidenced by the hole in the bottom. This particular head is a wonderful piece of commercial art and fashion history, utilizing painted composition/plaster materials. The condition is consistent with age and use in a retail environment, showing significant wear, including flaking and cracking to the painted finish, especially on the back of the head and along the neck/shoulder line. There are multiple nicks and small holes/imperfections in the face (like a small hole near the nose in one image) and general discoloration/grime to the flesh-toned paint. The wooden base is in good condition, and the head is currently separate from the base. H 14″, W 12″, D 7′.
Share this lot:
