WOW! was my reaction when I first saw this lovely pair of classical antique Staffordshire pottery figures--and I am hoping that will be your reaction too.
The figures depict Apollo, the Greek god epitomizing beauty, and Venus, the goddess of love. Although both subjects are well-covered in Staffordshire pottery, these particular models are exceptionally uncommon, and I have recorded only one or perhaps two others from the same molds. So to find them as a pair was really gratifying. At nine inches in height, they are impressive.
Where did this great "find" happen? Believe it or not, on FaceBook. One of my FaceBook friends, the Australian dealer Barrie Cathcart, posted their photo, and the rest is history.
Both Apollo and Venus are bedecked in delicious enamels--meltingly soft--and considerable thought went into all the details. Look at the lovely wreaths on the deities heads. And yes, the same rather girly head seems to have been used for both figures.
Where did this great "find" happen? Believe it or not, on FaceBook. One of my FaceBook friends, the Australian dealer Barrie Cathcart, posted their photo, and the rest is history.
Both Apollo and Venus are bedecked in delicious enamels--meltingly soft--and considerable thought went into all the details. Look at the lovely wreaths on the deities heads. And yes, the same rather girly head seems to have been used for both figures.
I am quite enamored with the dolphin's eye!
Of course, the vermicular decoration on the bases is especially eye-catching. I have noticed that other figures with similarly decorated bases exhibit the same caliber of enameling and glazing, and, on occasion, the same titling. All are rather yummy, and I suspect (but can't prove) that all came from the same pot bank.
Also added to the shelf in my office recently was this figure portraying Fortitude.
At almost seven inches, she is significantly smaller than Venus and Apollo, but she is charming, and I need all the Fortitude I can get! Notice that she wears a helmet (because Fortune is often portrayed as a warrior) and she leans on a pillar, (a pillar became Fortune's attribute in the Renaissance). I am not sure of the symbolism attached to the book...wisdom perhaps? I have only seen one other example of this figure, which was in the stock of the late Aurea Carter and is shown in Staffordshire Figures 1780-1840, Volume 4. I like her rather stoic expression.
My third and last collection addition is also classical, and the photo does not capture the shimmering iridescence of its luster background, which is a much pinker shade than my photo suggests.
This wee treasure, just seven inches tall, portrays the goddess Diana. As the goddess of the hunt and the moon, Diana personifies chastity. She is frequently portrayed with her hunting gear and a dog.
This humble plaque and I have a history. I fell in love with it in 2008, when I visited the home of the dealer Bill Shaeffer. As I entered the door it caught my eye--but Bill was not wanting to part with it. This year, his estate was auctioned, and it became my turn to acquire the plaque and enjoy Diana on my wall. Notice the smudge in the paint at ten o'clock. It's the painter's finger print!
This humble plaque and I have a history. I fell in love with it in 2008, when I visited the home of the dealer Bill Shaeffer. As I entered the door it caught my eye--but Bill was not wanting to part with it. This year, his estate was auctioned, and it became my turn to acquire the plaque and enjoy Diana on my wall. Notice the smudge in the paint at ten o'clock. It's the painter's finger print!
Bull baitings, wedding, christenings, children at play...the subjects have naive charm, but classical figures tell amazing stories of their own. Any idea why the figure of Venus usually has a dolphin at her side? That's because dolphins recall Venus's birth from the sea. Here the story gets a little gory. The Greek poet Hesiod tells that when Uranus was castrated, his genitals were cast on the sea, and Venus was born from the foam they produced, and she floated ashore in a shell. The Ancients were certainly not lacking in imagination!
Classical figures are easy to find, but not necessarily on the shelf of your favorite dealer. Dealers tend to focus on those bull baitings, weddings, christenings, and the like. They deem these subjects more "commercial", The secret is that classical figures (which are often earlier and finer than the so-called "whimsical" or "naive figures that dealers hone in on) are ridiculously underpriced because the trade, in its ignorance, often ignores them.
PS: James Hall's Dictionary of Subjects & Symbols in Art, an inexpensive paperback, is my go-to reference for the low-down on classical figures
Classical figures are easy to find, but not necessarily on the shelf of your favorite dealer. Dealers tend to focus on those bull baitings, weddings, christenings, and the like. They deem these subjects more "commercial", The secret is that classical figures (which are often earlier and finer than the so-called "whimsical" or "naive figures that dealers hone in on) are ridiculously underpriced because the trade, in its ignorance, often ignores them.
PS: James Hall's Dictionary of Subjects & Symbols in Art, an inexpensive paperback, is my go-to reference for the low-down on classical figures
