Tom King and Dick Turpin
This is a fine pair of Staffordshire figures of Tom King and Dick Turpin, probably originating from a theatrical production. Note the four separately moulded legs on each horse. Each figure stands about 12” tall and dates to approximately 1850.
King and Turpin, the infamous Highwaymen, lived in the early 1700s, but numerous theatrical plays in the mid 1800s dramatised their lives and brought these figures to life. Gordon Pugh shows the pair in the “Crime” section (pages 471 and 472) of his “Staffordshire Portrait Figures” book, and describes them as rare and attractive. In Harding Book One, Victorian Staffordshire Figures, page 264, the pair is described as “The finest pair of Turpin and King figures produced by the potteries”. Many Staffordshire figures of Turpin and King on horseback were made over a period of twenty years or so, thereby exemplifying the popularity of the story.
More Figures of the month
Boys playing cricket
This is a pair of Staffordshire figures of unidentified boys playing cricket, standing 6 ½” and 6 ¾” tall, dating to around 1850.
Artabanes
This is a theatrical figure representing an actor in the role of Artabanes, from the opera Artaxerxes. The figure stands 11 3/4” tall, dates to approximately 1830-1840, and is very rare. There is a dagger in his right hand, part of the blade being hidden beneath his sash. The interior and the edging of his coat are fully lined with ermine.
Napoleon III with Prince Albert
This is a figure of Napoleon III with Prince Albert, each with a drum on the ground and to the side. The figure stands 10 ¾” and dates to about 1854.
A pair of clowns
This is a fine pair of Staffordshire clowns, both standing 6 ½” tall, dating to circa 1860. Each is wearing pantaloons, with the figure on the left holding a cane.
Scottish hunter
This is an interesting example of a Scottish hunter, wearing kilt and underglaze blue coat, with a dog at his knee and a rifle resting near his right hand. The figure stands 14 ¼” tall and dates to about 1860.
A pair of Bullmastiffs
This is a pair of recumbent Bullmastiff dogs, approximately 6” tall, dating to around 1850-1860. This English breed was developed as a guard dog in the nineteenth century and is also known as the Gamekeeper’s Night Dog.
