I am rather fond of the perfect Staffordshire pottery figure below, which I have owned for many years. Her body is pearlware. She is known as "the hay maker" because examples occur titled thus. ​

This hay maker was made by Ralph Wood, circa 1785. She holds an ale barrel because in that era of polluted drinking water, ale was the standard water-substitute/refreshment (yes, even at work!).  The mold number "31" is impressed beneath the base; and a red band is around three sides of the base only--a typical Wood feature.  ​

Every hay maker needs a gentleman companion, so Ralph Wood made a rather pensive male mower to stand alongside the hay maker. But I have yet to see a true mower-haymaker pair from this pot bank. I believe these Ralph Wood figures were sold individually, and that is why true pairs are so elusive today. Like the hay maker, the mower was made

• with or without a bocage,
• with or without an impressed number (the example below on the brown background is impressed "30" and is courtesy of Aurea Carter) 
• with or without a title (which, when present, is always in one of the typical Ralph Wood scripts.)
• with a dark red-brown band surrounding three sides of the base only.

We collectors tend to overlook the impact that Ralph Wood's modeling had on Staffordshire figure styles. Ralph Wood established the "look" of many familiar Staffordshire figure models, and for decades after his death in 1795, other modelers emulated his work. Thus, figures of Elijah and the Widow made in 1835 are derivatives of those made by Ralph Wood circa 1790. And so it was with the mower and haymaker too. They also lived on is the Potteries for many more years.

The Dudson factory was established not too long after Ralph Wood's death, and it made mower and hay makers that are VERY like Ralph Wood's (below). In fact, I suspect Dudson acquired Ralph Wood's molds. This pair was made circa 1810.

The unknown pot bank that I have dubbed the "Leather Leaf Group" pot bank also made mowers and hay makers in much the same style. I believe the stunning pair below was made around 1820.

And the so-called "Gray Base Group" pot bank also made mowers and hay makers both with and without bocages, as you see below.

And a pot bank that I have not named made mower and hay maker derivatives, with a petite bocage sprig to the side.

Ralph Wood got a lot of mileage out of his mower and hay maker models, but it didn't end there. In an era when there was apparently no copyright protection on a design, a great idea clearly went a long way. These are not the only pot banks that made mowers and hay makers in the Ralph Wood style, but, lest you glance at these many images and conclude that such figures are plentiful, let me assure you they are not. Today, a fine single is difficult to find, and a pair is almost impossible. So if you see one, carpe diem!

I have always been torn about busts of Neptune. Some are rather grim, although the modeling can be superb. The earliest examples were, I believe, made by Ralph Wood, like this 11.4" beauty, formerly in Aurea Carter's stock. ​Because Neptune is the Roman god of the sea, he is draped with a fish-like garment.

There is something very statuesque, serene, and impressive about the Ralph Wood Neptune, but I suspect that after Ralph Wood's time (1782-95), the molds passed into other hands, and other potters jazzed things up a bit. Below is Neptune from the very same molds, without a single Ralph Wood feature.

Around the early 1800s, it appears that someone in the Potteries decided to fashion his own version of Neptune, and so a rather more cheerful model appeared, 14" tall. At the same time, the modeler made a companion Hercules, and, as happens, we find them together very occasionally. The first pair that I saw was in the Hunt Collection, formerly in the stock of John Howard.

Below are two more Neptunes from the very same molds, both inscribed “G.R” and impressed “1811”.

All the GR 1811 busts are decorated quite differently, and the pink luster one with the rosy Santa-Claus cheeks is my favorite. Amazing what a difference the painting makes to the final appearance, does it not? 

Initially, I concluded that the letters G. R. were the potter's initials, and 1811 was the date of manufacture. Seems reasonable, does it not? But time has taught me otherwise!

One small clue to what happened here is that on each bust the "GR" and "1811" are positioned in the very same spot. In other words, the letters are numbers are integral to the mold itself, rather than something the potter scratched into the clay. The same molds were probably used by assorted potters over several years, and each time a bust impressed "G.R." and "1811" was the result!

So if these busts were not made by GR in 1811, who made them, and when? Truth is, I don't know. I suspect that the MOLDS for the busts were made in the year 1811. Perhaps the maker was a small potter, who then sold the very same molds to other potters. More likely, he was a professional modeler. He may have put his own initials on the molds---or he may have put this detail on the back of the bust as a label of sorts, to reference the order.

​The GR 1811 molds were in use, it appears, for a few years, but Neptune was a hot topic in those days, so others too had a go at capturing his form. The third Neptune bust rendition is as below.

I will admit that I don't like this Neptune model. It is invariable rather clunky and dull, but I look forward to finding one that makes me eat my words!