Pair of swans
This pair of swans would have adorned an ornamental pond in Victorian times. Many large Victorian houses had large heated glass conservatories or orangeries attached to them in which the house owner would grow exotic plants such as ornamental ferns and orchids. These buildings would also often contain a water feature such as a pond containing fish. These pottery swans swam in those ponds to make the whole setting look more authentic. Look how the potters even painted their legs to look as if they were swimming. White with gilt decoration they are circa 1860.
More Figures of the month
A pair of pointers
This is a rare pair of Staffordshire foxhounds, pointers, or game dogs. Whatever one decides to call them, they are an unusual and very fine pair.
Reverand Edward Meyrick Goulburn
This is a rare Staffordshire figure of the Reverand Edward Goulburn, standing approximately 11 1/2” tall and dating to about 1860.
Richard Cobden
This is a rare Staffordshire figure of Richard Cobden, the English politician, economist, and leader of the effort to abolish the Corn Laws in 1846.
Rare pair of camel figures
This is a rare, mirror image pair of Staffordshire camel figures. They are generally believed to represent Lady Hester Stanhope and her personal physician and companion Dr. Charles Lewis Meryon, though this attribution is not certain.
Pair of standing lions
This is a fine pair of Staffordshire lions standing on coloured bases. Each lion is approximately 10” tall and dates to about 1860. These figures may be found in Harding’s Book Two, page 259.
Rare figure of Victorian card playing
At first glance, this may appear to be an ordinary arbour figure. But upon closer inspection, one can see these three people are engaged in a game of cards.
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