The Staffordshire Figure Association conference in Dallas last month was a resounding success, and viewing stunning private collections of early figures inspired many purchases at the sale that wrapped up events. As I watched collectors swoop and grab, I concluded that I still don't understand the collecting mentality at all. Are some people buying by the pound or by the inch? Do rarity, superb quality, and fine condition weigh into the equation at all? As I continue to mull the issues, I recall some of the smaller collections I have seen, collections that are mind-blowingly impressive, not because of their size or value but because of their focus.
Recently, a collector sent me a photograph of shelves housing his and his wife's treasures. The shelves, beautifully painted in an dusky turquoise shade, were stacked with interesting books. Guarding them were figures, arranged in rows in front of the books. Among them were very many figure of Charlotte at the Tomb of Werther, lined up alongside each other. The result was stunning.
Figures of Charlotte at the Tomb of Werther are among the most attractive of the early classical figures, all of which, sadly have lost favor with collectors who want the cute and colorful (even when very restored) rather than the serenely beautiful (even when very gorgeous). Charlotte at the Tomb figures are consistently rather fabulous. Each oozes the tragedy it portrays. Assembled together, these hauntingly beautiful artifacts are an interesting ceramics study. Their variations and their similarities point to who might have made them and when.
Recently, a collector sent me a photograph of shelves housing his and his wife's treasures. The shelves, beautifully painted in an dusky turquoise shade, were stacked with interesting books. Guarding them were figures, arranged in rows in front of the books. Among them were very many figure of Charlotte at the Tomb of Werther, lined up alongside each other. The result was stunning.
Figures of Charlotte at the Tomb of Werther are among the most attractive of the early classical figures, all of which, sadly have lost favor with collectors who want the cute and colorful (even when very restored) rather than the serenely beautiful (even when very gorgeous). Charlotte at the Tomb figures are consistently rather fabulous. Each oozes the tragedy it portrays. Assembled together, these hauntingly beautiful artifacts are an interesting ceramics study. Their variations and their similarities point to who might have made them and when.
 |  Courtesy the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. |  Courtesy The Antique Pooch, Ruby Lane. |
The photograph so kindly shared remains seared on my brain. It reflects the collectors' discriminating taste and artistic inquisitiveness. Theirs is not a mindless collection assembled as a capricious fancy. It is not governed by whim. Instead, it was assembled with thought and appreciation.
If you were to assemble a collection of one figure form, what would it be? My choice would be Flemish Music figures. They are tranquilly beautiful, and small variations abound that pique my curiosity. When found in pairs, the figures gaze into each others' eyes with love that transcends time.
Flemish Music figures can be traced back to Ralph Wood, who made the earliest of these figures, best we know. This pair is impressed "Ra. Wood Burslem" beneath.
If you were to assemble a collection of one figure form, what would it be? My choice would be Flemish Music figures. They are tranquilly beautiful, and small variations abound that pique my curiosity. When found in pairs, the figures gaze into each others' eyes with love that transcends time.
Flemish Music figures can be traced back to Ralph Wood, who made the earliest of these figures, best we know. This pair is impressed "Ra. Wood Burslem" beneath.
Ralph Wood was active from 1782-1795. During that period, he impressed numbers on some figures, and the numbers 131 and 132 were assigned to Flemish musicians. The pair below is impressed "132" in that way. Because the range of Ralph Wood numbers was chronologic, Flemish musicians might have been introduced later in the Ralph Wood era, around 1790.
Flemish musicians must have been a hit in their time because other potters soon mimicked them in their pursuit of profit. Ralph Wedgwood copied these figures (see www.earlystaffordshirefigures.com/26-music.html), as did Ralph Wood's cousin Enoch Wood, who I suspect made the pair below.
Courtesy Andrew Dando
| Although imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, subsequent potters thought they could improve on the original model, so they tweaked it at least a little. The figure alongside has a different face--jolly rather than serene. Also, his hurdy-gurdy has openings in the soundbox (note the cutouts surrounding the star like central motif on the hurdy-gurdy.) |  |
And then there was the creative potter who decided to place his Flemish musicians on plinths. How lovely is this? Compared to the original Ralph Wood models, the lady's face and hat seem to have been reworked.
 Courtesy Andrew Dando |  Courtesy Andrew Dando |
The prize for creativity goes to the pair below, which can be attributed to the Dudson pot bank. Again there may be a little reworking, I think, of the hat, and the lady holds her lute in a peculiar manner, to say the least.
Courtesy Andrew Dando
But, above all, are those huge cloaks not magnificent??? The light playing on their flat surfaces let us truly appreciate the beauty of the enamel colors and the glaze.
Courtesy Andrew Dando
The story does not end here, and, as with any good tale, there are twists and turns along the way. Flemish musicians also occur decorated under the glaze.
 Courtesy Bonhams |  Courtesy Nest Egg Antiques. |
But the story must eventually end, and I think that by the 1820s Flemish musicians had seen their day. Notable no Flemish musician has a bocage, and for that reason I surmise that by the 1820s the model was obsolete.
The variations in Flemish Music figures are numerous, and you can see other examples of these figures in Staffordshire Figures 1780-1840 Vol. 1 and on earlystaffordshirefigures.com, the site that supplements the book. This blog posting has merely skimmed the surface when it comes to Flemish Music figures, but it reinforces how much can be discovered by drilling down into one particular subject. Focusing in this way is so very rewarding, and along the way you can build a collection that is unique, aesthetically pleasing, and mentally satisfying. What more could a true collector want?
The variations in Flemish Music figures are numerous, and you can see other examples of these figures in Staffordshire Figures 1780-1840 Vol. 1 and on earlystaffordshirefigures.com, the site that supplements the book. This blog posting has merely skimmed the surface when it comes to Flemish Music figures, but it reinforces how much can be discovered by drilling down into one particular subject. Focusing in this way is so very rewarding, and along the way you can build a collection that is unique, aesthetically pleasing, and mentally satisfying. What more could a true collector want?
