c. 1930s
Manufacturer: Unknown
H 66 x W 78 x D 52 cm
Collection: Private Collector
Manufacturer: Unknown
H 66 x W 78 x D 52 cm
Collection: Private Collector
Ornate and decorative, this house is very different from its more traditional contemporaries.
Constructed of plywood and compressed cardboard, this two-storey house opens on both sides for ease of access. It was bought at auction and unfortunately there was no provenance or history provided.
The house appears to reflect European fashions for Eastern and Moorish designs in the decorative arts, which started in the mid-eighteenth century. Many of the decorative elements appear to be Indian, hence the collector has named the house Rajahstan.
Elements like the grilled windows and doors are part of the Moorish Revival movement which reached its peak in the mid-nineteenth century. It was one of the many non-western architectural styles adopted and incorporated into the source book of decorative ornament drawn from around the world.
Like most doll houses there is much detail on the exterior with large open spaces inside. Here the exterior features include: a patio at the back of the house; the fretwork on the rake cornices (edges of the roof); the curved finial (ornament on the apex of the roof) and decoration on the chimney and around the doors especially.
