Figure of the Month
October 2017
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In 1828, William Corder went to the gallows for allegedly murdering Maria Marten and burying her body beneath the floor of his Red Barn. The Red Barn Murder was the crime of the nineteenth century, and earthenware portrayals are among the rarest of Staffordshire pottery objects. |
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September 2017
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A pair of Victorian Staffordshire figures, probably depicting street musicians with drums astride Irish setters. Is the bowl for feeding the dog or donations from the public? |
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August 2017
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From Medieval times until 1831, game law restricted ownership of hunting dogs such as this pearlware pooch to landed gentry with sufficient income from land. This barred over 99% of the population from owning hunting breeds. The stars of the canine world then were pointers and setters. Their regal bearing made them gentlemen’s hunting helpmates, and those with good field skills commanded high prices
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July 2017Victorian Staffordshire equestrian figure of Sir Robert Peel, British Prime Minister in the 1830s and again in the 1840s. Peel was instrumental in the creation of the modern British police force, and the police nicknames “bobbies” and “peelers” are a form of tribute to him.
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June 2017
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These fine figures of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and the scientist Sir Isaac Newton, two men who shaped our world, were made in Staffordshire by Ralph Wood, circa 1785.
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May 2017A rare and large Victorian Staffordshire figure of Britannia seated above a clock face flanked by lions and holding the Union Jack aloft. |
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April 2017This pearlware watch holder, made in Staffordshire circa 1805, is almost 10 inches high. It depicts Urania, the Greek goddess of truth. Urania is also the muse of astronomy, and for this reason she is usually portrayed holding a globe or compass. |
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March 2017
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An unusual pairing of Victorian Staffordshire animal figures in the form of spill vases with leaping zebras and foxes
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February 2017This splendid gentleman setting out for a day's shooting has his dog at his side. The figure was made in Staffordshire circa 1820. In that time, only gentlemen with income from land of at least GBP100 a year were allowed to hunt game animals. Others who did so risked death or transportation.
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January 2017What better way to start a new year than with man’s best friend: a pair of the ever-popular King Charles spaniels, seated contentedly on cushions.
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December 2016All collectors love dandies, and the cute couple alongside are rather special in that, unlike all other dandies, they stand with a sheep, a goat, and two dogs. Made circa 1820 and only about 5 inches tall, this tiny treasure is the perfect eyeful.
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November 2016With US politics being most newsworthy at the moment, this month's figure is a fine quality figure of Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States. It was made circa 1845.
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October 2016This stunning spill was made in the Staffordshire Potteries circa 1825 and can be attributed to the "Leather Leaf Group" pot bank. It is taller than most because the vase has been placed atop a plinth. Perhaps for this reason, the lady and gentleman musicians wear rather tall hats!
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September 2016Relatively few fine cat figures were produced in the Staffordshire Potteries during the nineteenth century. This was because cats were not yet widely accepted as domestic animals and were still associated with witchcraft. This fine pair of recumbent cats date to circa 1850.
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August 2016This figure depicts the American actor Thomas Dartmouth Rice in the role of Jim Crow. Rice created the Jim Crow routine in the US circa 1828 and performed it on the London stage in 1836. His performance was a sell-out, and Jump Jim Crow quickly became an international song and dance sensation. This figure was made circa 1836. Jim Crow figures were also made in the Victorian era. |
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July 2016
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June 2016
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May 2016
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Victorian Staffordshire potters produced figures of contemporary royalty in great abundance. They potted many figures of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and their large family, but they fashioned far fewer figures of royals of bygone times, such as this fine example of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.” |
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April 2016
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This petite pearlware figure of a chimney sweep alongside a woman, circa 1815, recalls the "climbing boys" (sometimes younger than six) who were forced to scale chimneys. This perilous occupation took its toll on the health and sometimes claimed the lives of these children who were dubbed "English Slaves."
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March 2016
“Babes in the Wood” is usually a relatively common and uninspiring Victorian figure, but this particularly early circa 1840 version is quite superior in both quality and decoration.
February 2016
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This piper and his companion tambourine player are among the earliest of enamel-painted figures. They were made by James Neale circa 1780, and she is impressed with the NEALE & CO. mark beneath. |
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January 2016
A classic pair of “man’s best friend” to start the new year. This pair of spaniels standing on pink bases decorated with leaves is known as “Majesty & Grace” and was made circa 1850.
December 2015Titled on the plaque on the base DR SYNTAX STOPPED BY HIGHWAYMEN, this months figure is after a Thomas Rowlandson engraving by the same title. Rowlandson's illustrations on the Dr. Syntax theme inspired William Combe's amusing Dr. Syntax poems, published from 1809. This figure is attributed to Patriotic Group. H: 8.6”. It is very rare, all other recorded examples having lost the highwayman from the base. |
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November 2015This month's photo is prompted by the furry devils that are coming into our garden at this time of the year, burying nuts from our neighbors' trees in everything from garden borders to small pots. Squirrels are quite rare in Staffordshire pottery, and this 9.5” tall version decorated in the manner of the Thomas Parr factory is a rarity in Victorian Staffordshire. |
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October 2015
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A rare armorial container with removable stopper. The purpose of the container is unknown. It seems ill-suited for use as either a vessel for liquid or a spill vase, so perhaps it was intended to be purely decorative. Made circa 1820.
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September 2015
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The Staffordshire potters of the early nineteenth century reflected the public interest in wild animals popularized by the traveling menageries. This fascination continued into the Victorian era. Leopards like this fine pair are rare and desirable. Made circa 1850.
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August 2015
Most performing bear groups have a little lion (in reality, a dog dressed in a costume and wig) in the foreground, but now and again there is a monkey instead, as seen in the group alongside.
Notice the stiff leathery-looking bocage leaves, the long leaves on the base, and the distinctive flowers. These all confirm attribution to the unidentified pot bank dubbed the Leather Leaf pot bank.
Notice the stiff leathery-looking bocage leaves, the long leaves on the base, and the distinctive flowers. These all confirm attribution to the unidentified pot bank dubbed the Leather Leaf pot bank.
July 2015
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The figure was described in P.D. Gordon Pugh’s Staffordshire portrait figures book as “MONKEY PLUCK." The monkey has a pannier in its back, and a barrel at its side. Legend has it that monkeys were trained by monks to pick the choice inaccessible “cloud mist” green tea leaves. Hence the name monkey pluck. |
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June 2015
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This stunning bear baiting group was formerly in the Hope McCormick Collection. The bear's appealing expression and the man's comic pose offset the savagery of the scene. The once-common sport of bear baiting was banned in England in 1835, so this rare group, made circa 1820, is a last reminder of a sport that was once too common.
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May 2015
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A rare Victorian Staffordshire titled figure "DON'T YOU WISH YOU MAY GET IT" depicting a dog trying to get to a monkey, the dog tethered to a kennel. Made circa 1860. |
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April 2015
Figures impressed "TITTENSOR" are so rare that this figure couldn't resist sporting its rear view, complete with three marks. Unlike most bocage figures, which are enamel-painted, this group is decorated in under-glaze colors. And whereas most little bocage shepherds and shepherdesses stand on individual bases, here the bases are combined to form one unusual arrangement. Tittensor groups are particularly naive, and that just adds to their charm.
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March 2015This very rare figure portrays George Hudson (1800 - 1871), who inherited a fortune and used it to invest in the early railroad. Hudson came to control one-third of England's railways and he was known as "The Railway King," but in 1848, his financial mis-dealings were exposed. He lost his money and died in obscurity.
"RAIL WAY BILL" is painted alongside the figure because Hudson opposed the Railway Bill that introduced government oversight of private railways. |
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February 2015This particularly rare figure portrays Maria Malibran (1808–1836), a renowned beauty and an international mezzo-soprano of extraordinary vocal range and power. In 1836, Miss Malibran suffered permanent head injuries when falling off a horse. Thereafter, she performed a handful of times before collapsing on the stage in Manchester in September 1836 and dying days later
The figure is approximately 7.5" inches tall and was made circa 1835. The design source is an engraving for the Dramatic Magazine after A. M. Huffman by J. Rogers. |
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January 2015
This rare and (so far) unrecorded Victorian Staffordshire figure, circa 1850, depicts spaniels on either side of a watch holder and is surmounted by a candle holder.
The figure stands 8.75" tall and is 8" wide. It is reminiscent of the early pearlware "Royal arms" groups. If you have seen another figure like this, please contact us.
The figure stands 8.75" tall and is 8" wide. It is reminiscent of the early pearlware "Royal arms" groups. If you have seen another figure like this, please contact us.
