Staffordshire Figures 1780-1840

This past week I was contacted by a collector who wanted assistance with restoration to a sportsman. I do hope he will pair his sportsman with an archer. I must admit to having a fondness for archers, but fear not: I have not covered a table surface with a collection of those gallant ladies....yet.  There is something so appealing about these genteel figures, engaged in the one organized sport that was permitted to women in their day. 

Archery underwent a revival from the 1780s. Significantly, some clubs included women as full members, and their attendance as competitors and spectators added a social dimension to a sport that gave the fair sex ample opportunity to show off their profiles to best advantage as they posed with the bow drawn. The Woodmen of the Forest of Arden, the Teucerean Society of Archers, the Robin Hood Bowmen and other quaintly named archery societies became playgroups for the elite. Gatherings were grand social events, resplendent with pageantry, and highly regulated conventions governed the minutest details of dress and etiquette. Each society adopted its own attire, but a verdant green was the most common color for would-be woodsmen and their maidens.The lovely  figure below is dressed in green---note the VERY pretty enamels and  really interesting base mound, and just look at her expression.

Archers on square bases can be run-of-the mill, so if you want one be sure to buy a really pretty example. The figure above would be a keeper. But what if you want a special archer?  What do you buy?  My first choice would be one of the "Sherratt" models.

And yes, I would pair this lady with a "Sherratt" sportsman. Above you can see two versions of the archer, and one sportsman. The archers have different bocages, but both have those typical "Sherratt" garlands on their bases, both have typical "Sherratt" bocages, and both are on bases "Sherratt" used.  Assembling a pair can be a fun collecting exercise....as long as Instant Gratification is not your thing. 

On the other hand, I might go for a very nice archer marked SALT. The Salt archer is, I think, one of the prettiest. I own one and I have never bothered to find her a mate. Frankly, I have never found a man good enough for her, and she is perfectly content just as she is!

You can find all sorts of wonderful archers and their companion sportsmen, in pairs or in splendid solitude, at a very modest price. 

I have this image on file, and it always has me a little puzzled. Surely, surely that base has been cut down, perhaps because it was chipped? I would bet money on it, but I could be wrong.

This is the most generic of archer figures, but, base issues aside, is she not charming?  Archers range from the classically beautiful to the cutely quirky. There is one to suit every collector's taste, and they are all quite affordable.  The books that Malcolm Hodkinson and I are working on will enable you to see a huge range of archers and to dream about the one with an arrow that pierces your heart.  We are thrilled to be able to share our knowledge with you--neither one of us wants to die with it all in our head.  The more pictures you share with us, the better our books will be. Having spent most of the day sorting through archer images and captions, I realize how imperative it is to get our images in place early in the game. If you are planning on helping, this would be a great week to get started.

And if you are going hunting for that archer or anything else, have fun!