I was in an antiques store in Closter, NJ over the weekend, when I saw this beauty: a large ceramic head of a woman wearing curlers, vintage cats eye glasses, and bright red lipstick. The tag accompanying the piece said “Art? Or Awful? You Decide! It’s a wild piece, whimsical woman.”
It only took a second for me to think: I’ve seen this “woman” before! I know I have! I mean, really, how many ceramic heads with curlers can there be? I remembered her specifically from an estate sale I saw in Park Ridge, NJ some time ago. But could it really be the same ceramic sculpture? Did it somehow find its way from the estate sale to this antiques shop?
It’s actually a very logical journey for her to make: as one might imagine, something like this did not sell at an estate sale, and so the owners must have looked to clear out inventory and passed it on to the antiques dealer. Or, maybe more likely, the antiques dealer scours estate sales, and scoops up unsold lots. Either way, when I got home, I went looking for my photos from the day I went to the estate sale, and see that it was almost a year to the day: March 9, 2025 in Park Ridge, vs. March 7, 2026 in Closter. And sure enough, there she was, the same sculpture. They were asking $60 at the estate sale, and $115 at the antiques store, so I guess I missed my chance for a bargain.
For whatever it’s worth, the picture above is at the antiques store, and the picture below is where I first saw her at the estate sale. I remember being tempted that day, because it was such an oddball piece. It was big and clunky, larger than a real human head and weighing probably 25 pounds. I recall hesitating at the $60 asking price, as it was so big and odd, but I think it was the somewhat nasty old curlers that turned me off even more than the price; I wasn’t sure if that was real hair in them or not. If it was only the ceramic head, I might have taken the plunge.
