Myrna Schkolne: Early Staffordshire Figures

Ralph Wood was one of the earliest Staffordshire figure potters. He potted from 1782 until his death in 1795. In the early 1900s, his wares became very collectable, and there was heated competition among deep-pocketed, erudite English collectors who strove to amass and study his wares. Ralph Wood Toby jugs were favorites--Ralph Wood made the most exquisite Tobies, always decorated in colored glazes. Ralph Wood figures were also amassed in important collections, such as that of Captain Price, George Stoner, and Frank Falkner.  The focus was on colored glaze wares. At the time, these were thought to be much earlier than enamel-painted figures. While there was recognition that Ralph Wood did decorate some figures in enamel colors, such wares were spurned because they were thought to be later.

Fast forward a century, and today we know better. We know that enamel-painted figures were made in the 1780s, at the very same time as colored glaze figures. And we know that enamel-painted figures were costlier than their colored-glaze counterparts because they required more careful painting AND at least one extra firing. 

Yes, colored glaze figures are lovely....but enamels are much, much prettier. The market recognized that two hundred years ago, and eventually enamels totally displaced colored glazes.

Although the colored-glazed wares of Ralph Wood have been carefully documented, no-one has studiend his enameled figures. As a result, I frequently see lovely early figures that are not identified as Ralph Wood. The finest enamel-painted figure I have ever seen was a Ralph Wood enamel, and I want everyone to be on the lookout for such beauties. So in the past months, I have spent a chunk of time attempting to document the Ralph Wood enamel-painted figures.

I have added a new section to this site titled MAKERS. You can find it on the top menu bar. If you go to it, you will find a link to almost everything I know about Ralph Wood enamel figures. Perhaps this will help you identify figures in your collection as Ralph Wood. And if you have a RW figure that I have not recorded, please let me know. myrna@schkolne.com

Last summer I documented all the output of the Walton manufactory. I will be sharing this information on this site in the coming weeks. At that point, MAKERS will also include an active link to Walton wares.  And, as the months and years roll on, I will be adding additional Staffordshire manufactories.

If you look carefully at your figures, you may find that some of them share quirky characteristics that you can find on no other figures. It is probable that these figures originated from the same manufactory. Look hard. This makes collecting really fun!