Kämmer and Reinhardt Karl doll c.1910 – €9000 (£7565) at Derksen Auction Company.
As revealed by scholars in the 1990s, it seems the head of a stern-faced boy was modelled by the Berlin-based artist Arthur Lewin-Funcke and was based on his bronze sculpture Portrait of a Boy.
The doll, with a composition and wooden ball-jointed body, was marketed as Karl and made in a number of sizes from 12in (30cm) to 22in (50cm), All are rarities and prices of between £5000-15,000 are not unknown at specialist sales.
This example, standing 18in (46cm) high, came for sale at the Derksen Auction Company (30% buyer’s premium) in Arnhem, Netherlands on February 7 with a guide of just €50-100. It met plenty of admirers before it sold at €9000 (£7565).
The Kämmer and Reinhardt doll company was formed in 1886 in Waltershausen, Thüringia, Germany by Ernst Kämmer and Franz Reinhardt.
