In the past weeks, a number of interesting early Staffordshire pottery figures have crossed my path. Firstly, I was beyond excited to see the little enamel-painted figure of a shepherdess below. She clearly is a Ralph Wood figure, but I had not seen one like her hitherto.
 Images courtesy Richard Smith. |   |
(c) Skinner Inc. The same figure was also made decorated with colored glazes, as you see in the little shepherdess alongside. Ralph Wood used both techniques because in his time enamels were surpassing colored glazes in popularity.
Our shepherdess model seems to be an adaptation of this Ralph Wood figure impressed "87" that you see alongside. Ralph Wood was impressively skilled at adapting his models, I have learned.
Have you noticed that the enamel-painted shepherdess is titled Hay Maker?--but a hay maker she is not! In any event, Ralph Wood already had two versions of the hay maker model, as shown in these two figures. The two hay makers are essentially the same, but their heads differ. Go figure!
 Impressed "31" on the reverse. Courtesy the Potteries Museum. |  Impressed "33" on the reverse. Courtesy Elinor Penna. |
The second interesting thing that crossed my path recently was this stunning pair of figures of Elijah and the Widow. Don't yawn, please. I know figures of Elijah and the Widow are rather commonplace and can be dreary, and, for that reason, I have never owned a pair. But I did succumb and buy this pair, which I attribute to Lakin & Poole (active 1791-1796).
This pair was ridiculously cheap, and, far from rejoicing at my bargain, I was saddened to think that a fine pair of figures well over two centuries old and in very good condition, commanded this little respect. Sadly, they are not "cute," and the cuteness factor cannot be underestimated in our shallow market.
I have found the odd lone widow of this form before, but one Elijah--also Frank Falkner in his "Wood Family of Burslem" shows a color glazed Elijah from these molds and attributes it to Ralph Wood. Falkner may well be right. Ralph Wood may have modeled these figures. The figures themselves do not have the typical Lakin & Poole facial features, so perhaps the pot bank acquired the molds from an outside source.
Thirdly, I noticed a truly yummy figure of Autum that appears to be Lakin & Poole (or, at any rate, is definitely of late eighteenth-century manufacture), and it set my mind wandering on the topic of figures of Seasons.
I have found the odd lone widow of this form before, but one Elijah--also Frank Falkner in his "Wood Family of Burslem" shows a color glazed Elijah from these molds and attributes it to Ralph Wood. Falkner may well be right. Ralph Wood may have modeled these figures. The figures themselves do not have the typical Lakin & Poole facial features, so perhaps the pot bank acquired the molds from an outside source.
Thirdly, I noticed a truly yummy figure of Autum that appears to be Lakin & Poole (or, at any rate, is definitely of late eighteenth-century manufacture), and it set my mind wandering on the topic of figures of Seasons.
Figures of the Seasons in this style were made from the eighteenth century, as evidenced by a pair with the mark of P&F Warburton in The Potteries Museum. Because Enoch Wood, in particular, seems to have flooded the market with them, we tend to think of Seasons of this form as being boring, but think again. Very many makers made them, and special examples do occur.
Typical Enoch Wood type set of the Four Seasons. Enoch Wood later adapted these models to include bocages.
I think these two figures are especially attractive examples, and I would enjoy them in my collection.
Similarly, this lone "Sherratt" figure of Spring is to die for. As she is the only recorded "Sherratt" Season, the odds of making a set are remote, but would you rather have a gorgeous single figure or a ho-hum set?
I guess the message for today is that Staffordshire figures never fail to surprise. Think Elijah and the Widow or a lone season are boring? Think again! Do you think you know what the Ralph Wood hay maker looks like? Well, sometimes she looks remarkably different, as we have seen in this posting. It is the thrill of discovering the unexpected that makes collecting a endlessly rewarding.
