Figure of the month

​Tiger Hunter

​Courtesy Nick Burton English Pottery
November 2020

Queen Victoria was also titled The Empress of India. India was a colony of Great Britain and hugely important for the trade that existed between those two countries. Major imports to Great Britain were cotton, sisal for making ropes, spices and precious gems.

A large number of Britons went to India with their families to seek their fortune, and sadly one of their leisure time pursuits was big game hunting for trophies to decorate their homes. Tiger hunting was rife and many thousands of tigers were killed. This is a very rare figure.

​The figure is 10 inches tall. See Harding Book Two, page 75, figure 1911. 

​Courtesy Nick Burton English Pottery

More Figures of the month

Lord Raglan

June 2023

This is a very rare and desirable titled Staffordshire figure of FitzRoy James Henry Somerset Raglan, aka Field Marshal Lord Raglan.  The figure stands a little over 13” tall and dates to around 1854.  It may be found in Pugh’s 1987 edition of Staffordshire Portrait Figures, page 258, and in Harding Book One, page 121.

Pair of white cats

May 2023

This is a rare pair of seated cats, approximately 13 ½” tall.  They are decorated in bright gold and date to around 1870-1880.  Harding Book Two illustrates this impressive pair on page 239.  

Tiger and lion

April 2023

This is a rare figure of a tiger and lion lying in front of a palm tree.  Circus acts with wild animals became very popular in England during the 1830s and it is possible that this figure as well as other animal figures commemorated these events. 

Lady Godiva

March 2023

This is a rare figure portraying Lady Godiva seated sidesaddle on horseback.  The figure is titled “Lady Godiva” and is decorated in the manner of the Parr factory, with soft yellow, green, and brown brushstrokes.

Lost Piece

February 2023

This is an early Staffordshire figure of a woman standing on a grassy pedestal, with a coin in her extended hand.  The figure is titled “Lost Piece” and represents the biblical verses found in Luke 15:8-10.

William Shakespeare

January 2023

This is a gilt script titled figure of William Shakespeare with his right arm resting on a book atop a pedestal.  Next to the pedestal is a sloped watch holder with a clock face painted inside, sitting atop a tree decorated with grapes.

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