Courtship by John Dale

In the early 19th century, courtship for the 'better' classes was a high-stakes game that was primarily about money.  Collectors of pearlware figures are familiar with two well-known, rather formal Courtship groups. These elaborate groups command good prices....as they should, because they are glorious objects.

Far rarer, however, are groups giving us less formal glimpses of courtship. John Dale of Burslem made such a courtship group. You can see the only known marked example in my book. A similar, unmarked example is also attributable to Dale--again, you can see this figure in my book . Both these figures are rare. I have recorded only one example of each. They are pictured here on the page of Dale figures from the photo archive that Malcolm Hodkinson and I have compiled.

And today I found a third Dale courtship group. Better yet, this charming group is for sale on Madelena's site.

Staffordshire pearlware courtship group attributed to John Dale of Burslem. Available from Madelena Antiques.

How do I attribute this group to Dale? Firstly, this couple have those positively round faces typical of Dale figures. Secondly, there is "combing" (little parallel teeth marks) on the base--another Dale feature. And lastly, we have recorded the same group impressed with John Dale's mark..

You can see detailed images of this figure on Madelena's site by clicking here.
And you can learn all about those very rare Dale figures here.