Rare Adelaide Huret doll fetches £16,000 at Cheffins auction

An Adelaide Huret bisque shoulder head fashion doll with accessories, from the collection of the late Eve Clarke, achieved a hammer price of £16,000 at Cheffins’ recent timed online teddy bears and dolls sale – 8 times higher than its £2,000-£4,000 estimate.

The rare doll (pictured above) with blue painted eyes and fair mohair wig wore a brown banded taffeta gown, velvet hat and white leather heeled Huret shoes. She stood at 40.5cm high and came together with an additional pair of Huret brown leather shoes, and a Huret silk corset.

 Gabrielle Downie, Associate at Cheffins, comments: “Characterised by their plump and rosy cherubic faces, Adelaide Huret dolls are particularly revered by collectors due to the fragile nature of the material used to construct the bodies, meaning that very few examples in such wonderful condition survive. As such this doll attracted a lot of attention.”

 The market for doll collection is influenced by many factors, including rarity and quality, brand of doll and cultural trends. Collectors are attracted to the craftsmanship, attention to detail and historical significance of dolls. The rising trend among consumers to seek out vintage and retro items, including dolls, for nostalgia and historical value, can help push prices up. 

Elsewhere in Cheffins’ teddy and dolls sale, an unmarked shoulder head bisque fashion doll, possibly by Barrois, achieved £2,000 against an estimate of £100-£200. An early 20^th Century Kammer & Reinhardt bisque socket head character doll sold for £1,600 against an estimate of £300-£500, whilst an elegantly dressed Tete Jumeau bisque head musical automaton doll (pictured below), possibly Leopold Lambert, went under the hammer for £1,700 against an estimate of £400-£600.

Gabrielle Downie adds: “We were privileged to be able to offer the doll collection of the late Eve Clarke as the nucleus for the sale. As an educated and passionate collector, Eve’s dolls, and those from other vendors, were of exceptional quality and condition. As such, this sale attracted an array of avid doll collectors from around the world and many dolls attracted multiple bids, owing to their rarity and condition.”