When there is nothing worth saying, it is always best to keep silent. For that reason, this blog has been quiet these many months. I have already covered so much material here in the past fifteen years, and next to nothing else of note has appeared on the market of late. Admittedly, gorgeous pieces of great rarity do exist, but they seem to be glued to collectors' shelves. The most exciting group to pop up this year is the stunning one below.
Courtesy Bonhams.
The eye-catching bocage on this group is very uncommon, and, best of all, in this instance it is in outstanding condition. Figures with this bocage are few and far between, and when I was working on Staffordshire Figures 1780-1840, I had no basis for attributing them. My gut suggested Walton, but waving the flag for Walton or any other potter is treacherous without hard facts to back up the attribution. As luck would have it, in the last three or so years, two figures with this very bocage have come to light, both MARKED Walton, so the attribution finally stands on terra firma. Shown below, they are a lion and a Widow, both sporting this bocage form and John Walton's mark.
I delve through a lot of junk on the internet each week, always in the hope of finding something new or different. In June, I was tickled to see this cow at auction. At first glance, she is a pretty yet rather ordinary beast, but her name, LADY, impressed on the front makes her special.
A friend and I exchanged emails, jokingly suggesting names for the companion bull. We only had to wait till September to learn that the companion was a cow rather than a bull, and her name is ANN.
These animals came to auction at the same auction house, three months apart. I assume they came from the same source, and, if that is the case, to my mind splitting them into different lots at the same auction would have been very sad, but placing them in different auctions months apart was stupid and tragic. I am pointing no finger at the auction house because the fault may well lie with the consignor. I do hope that the same bidder acquired both LADY and ANN so they can spend their days side by side once more.
I am always on the lookout for figures that help me or others complete pairs. The little gardener lady on the left caught my eye recently. She is a humble purchase on Etsy, and, if you own the man alongside, sold by Andrew Dando some years ago, you may want to buy her to complete the pair.
I am always on the lookout for figures that help me or others complete pairs. The little gardener lady on the left caught my eye recently. She is a humble purchase on Etsy, and, if you own the man alongside, sold by Andrew Dando some years ago, you may want to buy her to complete the pair.
 Courtesy PFTPAntiqueSales on Etsy |  Courtesy Andrew Dando. |
Lastly, I am a little puzzled as to the identity of these two figures. They differ only in the objects that they hold
The figure on the right, above, is thought to be St. Margaret, the pearls she wears being critical to that identification. Below are two other figures of St Margaret.
As the figure in the pink dress on the left also wears pearls, might she too be St. Margaret? I doubt it, but I am out of my depth, so if you know the answer, please shout.
