Die Wachter der Hoffnung

I found this well-loved composition head and cloth body child’s doll in a recycled art shop just outside of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Stuffed with natural excelsior, the doll has a wonderfully tactile appeal.   

Articulated arms and legs are attached with what appears to be the original, tin and wire joints.  For the most part, the doll is in its original found condition. One of the legs is quite literally hanging by several threads! The guardian wears a

small vintage red-cross pin, which reads: “I serve” 

"The Angel of Hope"... The guardian angel resides in a repurposed and reinvented reliquary metal shadow box with a hardware cloth back.

I am showing this mixed-media doll later this month at the

Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts  

Repurpose, Re-use, Reinvent, Reconstruct Show   

Details of the paper maché tissue paper covering.

A reliquary is a type of shrine used to provide a “house” for long cherished relic.  The notion of treasuring items considered sacred or “set-apart” goes back to Biblical records and items such as the Ark of the Covenant. Reliquaries became even more popular in Medieval Europe, and after 1200 A.D. they made their contents visible through the use of portals or windows.
Thank you for stopping by... Daryle