Bidspirit auction | A Pair of Vintage Composition

A Pair of Vintage Composition and Wood Marionettes Featuring Vampire and Sad Clown Characters - A pair of hand-crafted string-controlled marionettes constructed with painted composition heads and articulated wooden limbs. The first figure represents a vampire or ghoul character, featuring a pale head with molded fangs, applied long eyelashes over closed eyelids, and dark yarn-like hair. It is dressed in a red satin-textured tunic with a cream and black ruffled collar and a dark maroon lower garment. The second figure depicts a sad clown, featuring a painted face with downcast eyes, a red nose, and a white beard area. The clown wears a black and cream striped jumpsuit with a red ruffled collar, red fabric mittens, and red fabric boots. Both figures are attached to wooden cross-bar controllers with black strings. No maker marks, labels, or signatures are visible on either puppet or their controllers. An orange promotional ruler visible in the images is not part of the lot and bears the partial text ADDED PE... APT... nc. Measurements: The marionettes measure approximately 18 inches in length from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet based on the visible scale. The vampire figure shows significant age-related cracking and surface paint loss on the forehead, cheeks, and chin (photo 1, 3, and 4). One wooden arm segment is wrapped in white adhesive tape (photo 7). The red tunic exhibits minor fraying at the hem (photo 8). The clown figure shows general surface wear and paint loss to the face and nose (photo 5). The striped fabric jumpsuit has light soiling consistent with age and handling (photo 6). Strings on both puppets are heavily tangled and will require adjustment or restringing for operation (photo 2 and 7).