Staffordshire Figures 1780-1840
  • Home of Early Staffordshire Figures
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Figures etc.
    • Some Fabulous Figures
    • Restoring Antique Staffordshire Pottery
    • Reproductions of Antique Staffordshire Pottery Figures
    • Believe It?
    • Dealers in Antique Staffordshire Pottery
    • Books on Staffordshire Pottery
    • Interesting Web Sites
  • Videos

Evolution

8/7/2012

0 Comments

 
The two ladies below (from Elinor Penna's stock) are both emblematic of Water. Do you know which one is earlier?  
Picture
The answer is the figure on the left. She was made by Ralph Wood. He died in 1795, and his son operated the pot bank until 1801. So this figure was made in 1801 or sooner. The figure on the right is made by Dudson. Dudson started up around 1800, and from 1805 they made figures.  Given the close similarity between the two and the sequence of events, it seems reasonable to conclude that Dudson acquired some of Ralph Wood's molds.  I have seen many other similar linkages that substantiate the conclusion. 

How do we know the figure on the left was made by Ralph Wood? It exhibits lots of typical features. The titling is in a script found routinely on Ralph Wood figures. The red line on the base bands only three sides of the base. The lady stands on a mound painted in the typical rainbow-like colors Ralph Wood favored. And, most importantly, when you look at the base from beneath, it has rounded internal corners--as occurs repeatedly on other Ralph Wood figures. 
Picture
The base on the left is the base of the Ralph Wood figure. The base on the right is the base of the Dudson figure. Small Dudson figures consistently stand on bases made in this way. Add to that, the script is typical of that found consistently on Dudson figures. And the slightly yellower body/glaze is also typical of Dudson. When encountering a new figure, I instinctively look beneath the base first. It really reveals a lot. 

I will admit I am frustrated with figure collecting generally. Where would stamp collecting be if stamp collectors simply bought stamps they liked and stuck them in albums?  The pastime would be pretty uninteresting. Instead, stamp collectors pore over details of perforations, water marks, and other teensy details that tell them more about their stamps. By differentiating the rare/interesting from the mundane, they add value to their pastime. The same can be said of most other forms of collecting....but not of pottery collectors as a whole. Most of us just buy what we like, and stick it on a shelf. As a result, so very many of the most interesting, rare, and fascinating figures command low prices.  My new books will have a price guide, and pricing figures has brought home a sad fact: some of the small figures most collectors would love to own are really very rare. But they are priced at no more than Price A, the lowest level on my pricing scale.

You may argue that the details don't matter.....but look at what we just learned about the two figures of Water. We know who made each, and that the one is older than the other.  Suddenly they both become a lot more interesting....and now you might be inclined to add the remaining three elements to one or other to form a set. It can be done!

Aurea  Carter currently has this pair of lovely figures emblematic of Water and Earth in stock.
Picture
You will recognize the lady as being from the same molds as the Ralph Wood and Dudson figures. I have no idea who made her...but I will be thinking about it. Interestingly, she now holds a jug. The possibilites are endless. Another Dudson variation, but lacking any features that support an attribution?  Enoch Wood? Any one of many other potters?  The truth is that we may never know.

Ralph Wood was a mold maker extraordinaire. Time and again, I see figures made in the 1830s that are of the same form as figures first made by Ralph Wood in the 1790s.  For example, most portrayals of Elijah and the Widow are closely similar to earlier Ralph Wood figures. I can go on and on with examples, but the figures below illustrate my point.

These two gardeners in the Potteries Museum are impressed "1" and "2". Because I think that impressed numbers on Ralph Wood figures indicate the sequential introduction of new figures, figures "1" and "2" must have first been made early on in the Ralph Wood era.
Picture
Ralph Wood's little gardeners set the "look" for many figures that were made in the following decades. The pair below was made in the 1830s--around 40 years after Ralph died. (Photo: courtesy Michael Grana.)
Picture
And here we have a similar gardener, with bocage, circa 1825.
Picture
I have been working on compiling a list of impressed Ralph Wood numbers and the corresponding figural forms. Falkner initially did this a century ago. He recorded 47 enamel painted figures and busts. I had recorded 110.....until today, when a new find on eBay brought the grand total to 111.  This bust of an unidentified gentleman, currently on eBay, is impressed 128 on the reverse.
I don't know who this gentleman is, but if you know, please shout. You can see the bust on eBay, while it lasts, by clicking here.
Update to the mystery bust:
Falkner notes busts of Milton as impressed 81, and I have noted them also impressed 82.
But Falkner also notes a bust of Milton, smaller in size, impressed 127. I think Falkner’s 127 is like this bust, impressed 128.
Bust 128 has clothing and facial features that are pretty close to bust 81---so I think Falkner took a leap of faith. 
I am not quite convinced that the gentleman is indeed Milton, who is always portrayed with long hair, but for now Milton seems as close to an identity as I can get.
Below, courtesy of Bonhams, is a bust of Milton. This is the 81/82 model. You decide!
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Myrna Schkolne, antique Staffordshire pottery, expert
    Picture
    Picture
    Staffordshire figure, Myrna Schkolne, pearlware figure, creamware, bocage figure, antique Staffordshire pottery
    Staffordshire figure, Myrna Schkolne, pearlware figure, creamware, bocage figure, antique Staffordshire pottery
    Staffordshire figure, Myrna Schkolne, pearlware figure, creamware, bocage figure, antique Staffordshire pottery
    Staffordshire figure, Myrna Schkolne, pearlware figure, creamware, bocage figure, antique Staffordshire pottery
    Staffordshire figure, Myrna Schkolne, pearlware figure, creamware, bocage figure, antique Staffordshire pottery

    Archives

    January 2022
    November 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008

    All material on this website is protected by copyright law. You may link to this site from your site, but please contact Myrna if you wish to reproduce any of this material elsewhere.


Visit earlystaffordshirefigures.com