Myrna Schkolne: Early Staffordshire Figures

As snow fell outside last week, the inside of my house was showered in white too. Not pretty large flakes but fine white talc-like stuff that stuck to everything and migrated into all the closets. Sheetrock work. Yuck! I will spare you the details beyond telling you that I am still cleaning and cleaning....and of course, all the pottery has had to be washed. I like staying on schedule with blog postings, but I admit to being exhausted physically and mentally. Brain dead. A picture is always worth a thousand words, so here is one of my favorite figures. Still awaiting a wash, she stands in our bedroom where I can admire her each night.

I haven't found a recorded figure quite like this one. There is a handful of shepherdesses in the same spirit, but differences abound. This lady was not without restoration issues, but her beauty and uniqueness compelled me to own her. I knew I would never find another. After all, is she not what Staffordshire is all about?

If this blog posting inspires you to wash your pottery, I apologize. On the other hand, it is the most worthwhile cleaning task. I just flick off the dust, run tepid water over all the surfaces, and stand the figure on a towel to dry. The figure just glow afterwards. Happy housekeeping!