The Mycenaean Princess

lauragill · Post by **lauragill** » Mon October 17th, 2011, 7:41 pm

The Mycenaean Princess is dressed at the height of Bronze Age fashion. Her maid has dressed her long black hair in ringlets, gathering them, and binding her pin curls under a golden bandeau. She wears her best costume, soft wool saturated with olive oil to give it a silken sheen, and her best jewelry of gold and amethyst.

The Princess stands 5 1/5 inches tall and is porcelain. I did not assemble or wig her--that was done for me by artisan Lucie Winsky--but I dressed her in an approximation of 13th century costume using china silk and fine cotton. Everything, including the embroidery, was hand-stitched. Her skirt alone took 14 hours, and is not perfect, but then, she’s my first doll.

annis · Post by **annis** » Tue October 18th, 2011, 4:49 pm

She's lovely!

fljustice · Post by **fljustice** » Tue October 18th, 2011, 5:23 pm

Beautiful, Laura!

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Tue October 18th, 2011, 6:10 pm

She's beautiful! Well done, Laura.

annis · Post by **annis** » Tue October 18th, 2011, 6:50 pm

I wonder how the Mycenaeans created those impressive ringlets? Some sort of heated rod, perhaps? When I was a kid I had really long hair and my grandmother liked to put in in ringlets using old-fashioned curling rags. The look was impressive, but talk about paying the price to look beautiful - it's impossible to sleep with your head wound up in curling rags

lauragill · Post by **lauragill** » Wed October 19th, 2011, 3:43 am

In Helen's Daughter, Hermione's maids use wooden curling pins and oil to fix the curls, and yes, Hermione has a terrible time trying to lie down with her hair set like that.

Thanks for the comments about the doll. Earlier today I replaced the wide sash with a smaller and plainer red silk one to bring out the red embroidery on her bodice and in her skirt. I want to do a Minoan Snake Priestess, too, but the arms are molded separately and have to be attached and filled out with cotton batting; it's very hard to do short sleeves, which the Snake Priestess's costume has. I'm looking into finding a molded doll where the arms will let me do short sleeves.

lauragill · Post by **lauragill** » Fri October 21st, 2011, 1:38 am

The final version of the Mycenaean Princess. I exchanged her wide cream sash for a narrower red one that highlights her red flounces and embroidered bodice, and posed her in front of a swallows-and-lilies fresco painting I did back in May.

I am hoping to do the Minoan Snake Priestess soon, but have to find the right doll.

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Fri October 21st, 2011, 6:47 pm

Very nice, Laura. The red sash really is better.

Chiliarch · Post by **Chiliarch** » Mon October 24th, 2011, 1:33 pm

She is lovely and the fresco is just beautiful. Did you make the doll yourself?

lauragill · Post by **lauragill** » Mon October 24th, 2011, 8:17 pm

[quote=""Chiliarch""]She is lovely and the fresco is just beautiful. Did you make the doll yourself?[/quote]

I had someone assemble the doll from the mold and do the hair, but I did all the rest (costume, jewelry, background).

Historical Fiction Online

The Mycenaean Princess

The Mycenaean Princess

Final Version