To my mind, children's art falls into two categories: work executed with deliberate carefulness, and work done with gay abandon. Early earthenware figures fall into much the same two categories. In particular, some figures are modeled and painted with such skill that they exude a sublime subtlety. On the other hand, a great many more figures were made with a sloppy disregard for the details.  "Cheap and cheerful" sums them up--but cheap is relative, and even today some of these figures are far from cheap.  I photographed the little group below for my new book, and I tend to think of it as cheap and cheerful...and charming.

Note the quick paint job. No elaborate dress patterns here! This couple are definitely not dandies. Rather, I think of them as a courting couple. I have never seen another figure group of this form.  After my rant on bocage restoration two weeks ago, you must have all pegged me as a purist. Let me burst your bubble. Here a portion of the bocage has been reattached (in my book, this is fine, because it is "all there"--not made up), one or two leaf tips have been done (sadly inevitable), and some flaking of the green enamels has had to be touched in (for the owner, it beats the alternative of NOT having this figure group, and I agree.)

I have noted a small number of other figures having the same bocage structure, including the same tiny flowers. This cow--which, I think, was in the stock of Madalena--is an example.

Notice that the cow has an interesting array of flowers on the base--integral to the base mold, I think.  I observed the same bocages on some other figures, and frequently the bases had a similar floral treatment. The gardeners below illustrate this point (yes, there is quite a bit of restoration to the leaves, but the unrestored leaves are as on the previous two figures, as are the bocage flowers.)

This small group of figures deserves a name. What to call it? I have dubbed it the Straw Flower group. What are straw flowers?  It was the name I gave the tiny spiky flowers that grew wild on the South African veld. Doubtless, they have a proper name, but as a child I always thought their teeny petals looked like straw, so that name stuck in my mind.  At any rate, it seems to work for these little flowers, particularly those on the base.

These are by no means the only figures that the Straw Flower pot bank produced. We may never know the identity of the potter, but it is satisfying assembling work from a never-to-be identified pot bank as we piece together the past.

I indulged my Ralph Wood fetish recently with the purchase of this splendid Lost Sheep figure from Roger de Ville.

I just HAD to have it. As you see, BOTH the Ralph Wood name AND the model number, 9, are impressed beneath.  You won't find another figure like this--so how could I resist? I am over the moon with this collection addition--and in love with this shepherd. He has a fabulous face, and I should know because I have gazed at it for hours. I have waited for ever to find just THIS Lost Sheep, and it has been worth the wait!

I don't claim to have the best collection in the world, but I do knowI am a picky collector. As a result, my shelves are not overflowing with junk purchases from the early collecting days. Yes, I have owned a few 'mistakes,' but they have moved on.  If you collect in haste, you will repent, I promise!!  And PLEASE buy with caution. You don't have to pass an exam to be a dealer. You don't need a license. Anyone can hang up a shingle--or start a web site. And despite years of dealing, some in the trade still are remarkably ignorant about restoration. Dishonest or stupid?? I really can't say. But it does bother me no end when dealers profess ignorance and fob off shoddy figures on unsuspecting buyers. Even if inexpensive, these figures are expensive for what they are.

eBay does have a tiny handful of good sellers, but you buy at your peril. I have returned 5 of my last 6 eBay purchases for significant undisclosed restoration. In each instance, a buyer would had to have had some expertise in detecting restoration. Do not expect restoration to always jump out and greet you. A case in point is this small cherub. Can you detect a problem?

Notice that the cherub's legs are pinker than the rest of her body. The reason is that the figure has broken clean in half and it has been reattached and repainted. The slight difference in color gives it away.  The color variation is actually easier to tell in a picture than in the flesh, so to speak. If you felt the legs, they would feel slightly plastic-like to the touch, quite different from the rest of the body--but you would have to be looking for it. Same applies to the green area at the back, where the eye can't tell much.  The cherub is not an expensive item if in perfect condition. Restored in this way it is, in my opinion, worthless. Buying it would be a mistake. Try and sell it later....well, good luck!

Collectors all have wish lists, and I get emails from them telling me what they want. Now is not the time for that because in this market you take what you can get.  Figures seem to be vanishing. Three collectors contacted me last week wanting a Walton Scuffle.  I acquired the example in my book in 2005.  

My friend Nick Burton found it for me, and he thought it just dazzling. When Nick says it is really good, it is, so I took it on his word. It is a glowingly beautiful example, perfect, no repairs or restorations, and with a great full bocage. So here we are, 8 years later, and how many Walton Scuffle's have I seen in that time? Not one!  We all think of a Walton Scuffle as a common thing because we all know what it looks like....but in reality, it is very scarce. I have found one Walton Contest (the companion figure) in a collection, but it was mediocre at best.  The figure below is the closest I have come to finding another.

This figure does not have the Walton mark and the bocage is totally restored.  Would you want it?   

From the sublime to the ridiculous, Staffordshire offers it all, so collect with care.

Restoration on pottery is almost inevitable, but there is restoration and there is restoration. In my opinion, nothing is worse than a totally restored bocage--or, as some dealers delicately put it, "bocage remodelled" or "bocage replaced."  Of course, I tolerate some excellent professional restoration to a bocage, but the whole thing...well, that is another story. I have yet to see a totally restored bocage that does not offend. The figure would look better with the loss, but a new piece of plastic as a backdrop is, in my opinion, completely unacceptable.

This pair has restored bocages-- stiff stalky objects with leaves of a form unknown to the Staffordshire Potteries. In the flesh, you would find the bocages quite plasticy to the touch.

And here the same figures are again, with different bocages. The figures were re-restored with bocages of the right form, but I don't like the result any better. They are too bright, too stiff, too glossy and plasticy, and I find them offensive. Look at the bases and look at the bocages.  They are quite alien to each other.

Below is a close up of the offensive bocages.

And below are details of an array of unrestored bocages. I shan't elaborate. A picture is surely worth a thousand words in these cases. Look at the definition and the myriad small details that attest to their age and authenticity.

I don't intend being glib when I say that the blind can detect bocage restoration. In fact, the blind may be particularly good at it because it can all be in the touch. Look at the original bocages above and imagine running your fingers along the edges. Believe me, the edges have a roughness to them. Restored bocages really tend to feel smooth and plasticy.

Put on 3x reading glasses and look at a good bocage. You will see a million little details that aren't apparent in a restored bocage, and I hope the pictures above give you an idea of what to look for.

What about bocages with some restoration?  Unfortunately, this is almost inevitable, but I do prefer that minor bocage damage be left unrestored. A lost leaf can be less offensive to the eye than a restored leaf.  Bocages (and green enamels) are particularly unforgiving of restoration, and you can always detect the restored leaves, as you see below. 

Personally, I find some of the restoration in the above slide show acceptable and some unacceptable. I am the first to admit that restoring a few leaf tips can transform a figure. It is all a matter of judgement---and good restoration. Good restoration is expensive--and it is just another one of the things you pay for when you assemble a good collection, and when you buy from a top dealer.  I hope this blog posting will help you set your cut-off line.

PS: 
If you think about HOW a restorer makes new bocage, you will understand why it is so easy to detect. The restorer will make molds off existing bocage leaves. He then forms a new leaf from this mold. Inevitably, the new leaf is not nearly as well defined as the original. The veins are not as deep, the edges are not as sharp. Then the restorer paints the new leaf.  As the paint coats the surface of the new leaf, it further obscures the detailing. And therein lies the difference.

Bocages are 3-D structures, and, as such, it is difficult to do them justice in a photograph. Believe me when I say the artless three-dimensionality is lost in reproduction. New bocages lack a free-flowing ease, and are really rather rigid and stiff.