In 2014, I stumbled across a remarkable, unrecorded figure on eBay. Beneath her base was the title AIR, leaving no doubt as to her identity. True to her elemental theme, she lifts a horn in one hand while her other hand clutches a skirt caught in an imagined breeze.
Beneath the base, an impressed G and crown identified the maker as Robert Wilson of the Church Works pottery. James Neale, a London merchant, owned the pottery, but by 1783, Wilson, its manager, had become his partner. In 1789 Wilson owned it in its entirety.
Beneath the base, an impressed G and crown identified the maker as Robert Wilson of the Church Works pottery. James Neale, a London merchant, owned the pottery, but by 1783, Wilson, its manager, had become his partner. In 1789 Wilson owned it in its entirety.
At that time, Neale-Wilson figures had been meticulously cataloged, and yet no record existed of this pottery producing figures representing the Four Elements. The discovery of Air was electrifying. She was inexpensive, but clearly had endured a difficult life. Nevertheless, I felt she deserved a place on my too crowded shelves.
The hunt continued. A few years later, another Wilson Element appeared: a gentleman embodying Fire, again titled and marked beneath. He had been glazed but never enameled, so I let him pass.
Then, in the fall of 2025, a third Element emerged at auction: a striking Georgian gentleman gardener titled EARTH, in near-perfect condition. He proved a perfect companion for AIR, who received the sympathetic restoration she required.
The saga of these figures captures the thrill of collecting: the chance discovery, the chase, and finally, the satisfaction of seeing these rare pieces reunited— components of an elemental quartet that had been hidden in plain sight for centuries.
The saga of these figures captures the thrill of collecting: the chance discovery, the chase, and finally, the satisfaction of seeing these rare pieces reunited— components of an elemental quartet that had been hidden in plain sight for centuries.
