ANTIQUE DOLL WITH HAND CARVED & PAINTED WOOD HEAD

Greetings. I inherited the piece so do not know much about it. It appears to be/have been a doll of some sort. It stands approx. 17" H and from fingertip to fingertip approx. 10" in width. It has been professionally mounted onto/in a plexi viewing box in a seated position. The head (approx 8" in D) of the doll which is hand carved wood and hand painted, is mounted separately, though visually appears to be connected to the body. The legs are stuffed with material/cloth and the body of the doll is actually just the clothing/outfit (no structural body) as the body/outfit of the piece is simply mounted on the plexi stand that was created for it. The hands are stuffed with what feels like cloth. So the entire body is cloth and the only solid component is the wood head. It's in very good condition overall as is it been kept in the plexi box for years. I have no idea of the age. The family member who bequeathed it to me passed when he as 82 and had stated he aquired in it in the early 1970's from an antique store in Manhattan, N.Y.. He couldn't remember how much he purchased it for, but stated it was a "rare piece" (like most people do I'm sure). I'm unsure of the origin. He wanted to preserve it, so he took and had it mounted in the plexi box it sits in today. I am unsure as to the origin or era/period and hope you can offer some information on such.  Thank You for any information you may be able to impart on it. I thank you so much.