I ran across this small equestrienne last year and bells went off in the pottery lobe of my brain.
The figure can be attributed to the Leather Leaf Group. Although the figure does not have the bocage flowers that are exclusive to the Leather Leaf Group, note the long serrated leaf on its base. Alongside is a close up on two leaves of the same form--and I have only seen such leaves on figures with Leather Leaf features.
Other features strengthening the case for a Leather Leaf Group attribution include the stiff, curled, "leathery" bocage leaves, the large blue and red flowers, and the scrolling on the base.
The bells in my brain kept jangling until I recalled the companion figure that I had seen back in 2012 in another collection. Sadly, the chances of uniting this pair are remote as neither owner is inclined to part!
The bells in my brain kept jangling until I recalled the companion figure that I had seen back in 2012 in another collection. Sadly, the chances of uniting this pair are remote as neither owner is inclined to part!
In most cases, small equestrian figures--and by "small" I mean in the 8 inch range-- have a dog on the base. That's because the figures are portraying hunting scenes. The gentleman is clearly attired for the hunt, is he not? Ladies, however, did not participate in hunting, so what is going on here? The secret to unraveling the mystery lies in knowing that these small equestrians are portraying circus routines rather than real life. Earthenware equestrian figures depict both men and women in circus roles because women were leading stars in the early circus.
Hunts on the circus stage? Yes, they really happened! Reenactments of hunts were popular circus fanfare, and women participated. Playbill offerings of 1793 advertised a fox hunt that utilized dozens of dogs and two foxes, as well as a reenactment of the royal stag hunt at Windsor that included a stag and “Ten Male and Three Female Equestrians” with “the Stag … Twice, and the Horsemen and Horsewomen Five Times, in FULL VIEW.” Such hunts afforded glamorous equestriennes ample opportunity to strut their stuff.
In his memoir, the showman Jacob Decastro tells that he never forgot going to the Royal Circus in his youth where “a real stag-hunt was brought out, and Miss Romanzini (now Mrs. Bland) sung a hunting song on horseback in the middle of the ring.” Close your eyes and imagine what a spine-tingling experience that must have been--and then look at these equestrians and know that you are gazing at the past.
Hunts on the circus stage? Yes, they really happened! Reenactments of hunts were popular circus fanfare, and women participated. Playbill offerings of 1793 advertised a fox hunt that utilized dozens of dogs and two foxes, as well as a reenactment of the royal stag hunt at Windsor that included a stag and “Ten Male and Three Female Equestrians” with “the Stag … Twice, and the Horsemen and Horsewomen Five Times, in FULL VIEW.” Such hunts afforded glamorous equestriennes ample opportunity to strut their stuff.
In his memoir, the showman Jacob Decastro tells that he never forgot going to the Royal Circus in his youth where “a real stag-hunt was brought out, and Miss Romanzini (now Mrs. Bland) sung a hunting song on horseback in the middle of the ring.” Close your eyes and imagine what a spine-tingling experience that must have been--and then look at these equestrians and know that you are gazing at the past.
