Staffordshire Figures 1780-1840

Figures marked "Tittensor" are thought to be the work of Charles Tittensor, who potted in the Potteries in the earliest decades of the 19th century. Such figures are rare beasts--and most times they are beastly ugly, with heavy modeling and especially clumsy, garish underglaze coloring. But this is not always the case. Tittensor also produced enamel painted figures. And sometimes even his underglaze figures are simply dazzling! Case in point:

This amazing 9" figure simply glows and the large yellow flowers are so eye catching. The structure comprises two figures--note the impressed titles SHEPHERD and SHEPHERDESS midway. The figures are placed on a fantastic triple meringue-like mound that is large enough to support some sizable sheep. And all is surmounted by a hoop bocage. Interestingly, the molds used for the shepherd and shepherdess are very like those used by other potters. Similarly styled figures (usually enamel painted) occur marked HALL and SALT--or not marked at all. But only Tittensor seems to have combined the two figures into a compound figure group.

When I have to bake cookies, I am often tempted to lump all the dough into one big cookie and be done with it. Seems Tittensor had the same approach to figure making!

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And lest we have any doubts as to the maker's name, Tittensor stamped his name into the figure very deeply on the back THREE times!

Although very rare, compound Tittensor figures of this type are not unique. I know of two slightly smaller ones illustrated in Anthony Oliver's Staffordshire Pottery and one in the collection of the Atlanta Historical Society--but I don't know of another that bears three Tittensor marks.

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