Staffordshire Figures 1780-1840

A few years ago, I came across this figure. It is titled St. Paul and marked Walton.

John Walton did indeed make a figure of St. Paul that looks like this figure, so what's wrong with this example?  Well, the problem is the bocage.  It is a bocage normally found only on figures we attribute to "Sherratt."  Yes, "Sherratt" also made a figure of St. Paul with just this bocage....but the "Sherratt" St. Paul looks quite different.

Can you see what I mean?  On the left we have a Walton figure, on the right a "Sherratt" figure. (Click on the figures to enlarge.)  Our problem figure blends the Walton figure form on the left with the bocage used by "Sherratt", as seen on the right. The restoration--if you can call it that--had been very well done.  Unless you knew the bocage was wrong, you could be fooled. The join on the trunk was very well executed. Stripping the entire thing with paint stripper was perhaps the only way to know....unless you had done your homework and knew what bocage to expect on a figure marked "Walton."

I have in the past few years seen two other figures that were marriages between a good figure and a good bocage--the problem in each case was that the bocage was not the correct one for the figure.Yes, the work had been very well done, so  only knowledge of the correct bocage form for each figure protected collectors from falling into a trap.  Again, paint stripper would have revealed the truth, but this is a pretty drastic step.  I have watched collectors and dealers as I talk about bocages. Their eyes glaze over. But this is vital knowledge and we all need to tune in to it. Knowledge is power!

I was browsing around the web today and discovered an old auction listing for a Rural Pastime figure. (Photos are the property of Auction By The Bay and are used here solely for educational purposes.)

Pretty, isn't it? To my eyes, the figure was definitely made by Ralph Wood...but the bocage was not!  The bocage is of the generic form used by many potters. Clearly it had been transplanted onto this figure to replace a lost or broken bocage.  Removing a damaged bocage and replacing it with an intact one off another figure can be a lot easier than restoring correctly.

In this case, it is easy to see that the bocage has been reattached because the join in the tree trunk is quite visible. Despite this, the figure sold at auction for $1000.  The auction listing was quite upfront about the damage to the tree trunk and other damage. There was certainly enough information to set off alarm bells and a full condition report probably provided additional information. 

Remember that bocages do break off figures and they can be reattached. This is not a disaster scenario. I accept an original bocage being reattached. After all, all the original material is present and accounted for. But having the wrong bocage stuck on is a no-no.  Below is the Rural Pastime figure as it should look, with its original bocage in place.

As you look at the correct figure and compare it to our problem child, notice some other things. The girl should hold a book, not a flower. And the boy should have a stick in his hand, not a horn. How was this poor fella supposed to play two instruments simultaneously?  An uninformed restorer improvises. A top restorer goes to infinite effort to restore correctly. I supply pictures to help restorers get it right, but alas one or two restorers routinely request this assistance. If you need a figure restored, make sure it is done correctly. Shout if you need help.