Staffordshire Figures 1780-1840

Large figures of Prudence and Fortitude are among the biggest allegorical figures the Potteries wrought. While I am always awed at the technical expertise that it took to make these large ladies, I don't want to live with one. Their statuesque physiques make me feel like a coat-hanger...so no, I have not succumbed to the charms of either figure yet. 

Here we have Prudence on the left and Fortitude on the right.  For those of you who do not know (and believe me, I had to dig this up!) Prudence and Fortitude are Cardinal Virtues. Prudence is normally personified holding a mirror (implying the wisdom of self-knowledge) and a snake (from Matthew 10:16: “be ye wise as serpents”, with the Latin word for "wise" being "prudentes"). Fortitude carries a broken pillar to represent her strength.[1] 

Figures of Prudence and Fortitude were among the many allegorical figures that were popular in the neoclassical period. Images, and three-dimensional representations abounded, so it is not surprising to find them also commemorated in clay. The design source for the figures is probably a plaster obtained from a London plaster maker.  

The most well known marbles of Fortitude and Prudence are in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome. England, however, had its own representations: A monument to Lady Digges at the Parish Church of St. Mary's, Chilham, erected in 1631, portrays the Cardinal Virtues, including Prudence and Fortitude.

While Prudence and Fortitude are today associated with Enoch Wood/Wood and Caldwell, Ralph Wedgwood also had a go at making these ladies. The two figures shown above from the Earle Collection are apparently marked WEDGWOOD. The WEDGWOOD figures of Prudence and Fortitude are indistinguishable from examples marked E. WOOD. This is not surprising, as Ralph Wedgwood helped himself to others' molds on sundry ocassions.  But, in the absence of a mark, Prudence and Fortitude are commonly attributed to either Enoch Wood or Wood and Caldwell. Falkner notes a pair marked E. WOOD in a private collection. [2]  Also, a pair impressed E. WOOD sold at Sotheby's New York, 29 January 1987, lot 378, the Collection of the Rev. Benjamin Lake. An example of Fortitude, bronze-glazed and impressed WOOD & CALDWELL, sold at Bonhams Chester a while ago.

Below are some more examples of Prudence and Fortitude:

And you might like this pair in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Click a picture to enlarge it.

For the record, similarly styled figures sometimes occur on round rather than square bases. But still at a whopping size of around 24", they are no more lovable...yet every bit as majestic. So as I am not a fan of large figures, am I to remain forever without Prudence or Fortitude?  Absolutely not!  I have discovered a rare little figure of Prudence,

This figure of Patience is marked NEALE & CO beneath, indicating it was made in the early 1780s.  At just 7-3/4", this baby tucks onto a shelf easily. And are those enamels not edible? I always think Neale figures are to die for. Anyway, I have yet to find a small example of Fortitude....perhaps there isn't one. But for a collector, Patience is the most important Virtue, for with time, who knows what may turn up?
1. Hall, James, Dictionary of Subjects & Symbols in Art, pp. 127, 254
2. Falkner, Frank, The Wood Family of Burslem, p.59