What constitutes "Eye Candy"? (Other than that "hot guy" or "smoking babe" on TV or the silver screen!) When a wee child sees candy for the first time, the child has no idea what it is. Only after experiencing the taste of the sweet treat does the visual of the sweet have meaning and ultimately become an object of desire.
When a layperson (non-doll collector) encounters an antique doll, accessories, dollhouses, or furnishings, they understand them to be "old toys" and may even question their value based on their age, possibly questioning what these old things could possibly be worth or even matter next to the shiny, slick new toys of today. Or worse, they may buy into some greedy producer's idea of Creepy Dolls like "Chucky" or "Annabelle" and ascribe that creep-factor to all dolls. Ewwww!
Understanding and experiencing anything leads to valuing and appreciating it, from collecting to art, from science to travel, and everything in between. Eye Candy, in the realm of antiques, comes into play when, through study and exposure, we can appreciate historically all it took to create the form and the care that was taken from generation to generation to bring the item into the present in the most intact condition possible. A Higgs Wooden, a finely made German Grodnertal, a deeply modeled Heaubach piano baby, an all original Jumeau Bébé in layers of finery, a Huret or Rohmer Enfantine Doll with a trunk full of original and possibly signed items; all of these can be "Eye Candy" in the mind and heart of the avid collector. As sisters and brothers in the Antique Doll and Toy World, we may have different choices and goals in collecting, however, we are able to recognize and experience deepening levels of appreciation for well preserved, original items. We KNOW Eye Candy when we see it!
For this collector, nothing is more satisfying than following a trail of clues and researching an item's history. The side benefit is the depth and breadth of appreciation and
excitement I feel
when I stand in front of that very piece and revel in all the fine details and intricacies, seeing the results of the minds and hands that brought it to life and the years that it must have been cherished to arrive at this moment in time for my stunned appreciation.
Happily, Eye Candy in the Doll World doesn't add to the width of our hips! However, just like candy, it's certainly addictive! We just can't get enough! So, that being said, off I go in search of more fabulous EYE CANDY for my discerning friends and collectors with a "sweet tooth"! YOU!
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