It is increasingly difficult to find figures on the market. Where have all the figures gone? A decade ago, figures were everywhere: they starred in several annual London auctions and were well represented in the stock of a good number of specialist ceramics dealers who stood at leading shows. But times have changed. Figures now come to auction sporadically and the trade has dwindled. Go ahead, blame the Internet! Fortunately or unfortunately, the Internet has revealed what is ordinary and what is extraordinary. The discovery that Victorian Staffordshire figures abounded can be credited to the Internet....and the Internet can be blamed for the plummet in price of Victorian figures (or the least the mundane ones, and that means most of them!). But the Internet has also taught us how rare earlier figures are, and that fine examples are not easy to find. As a result, people who own these figures are holding onto them.
I heard a report on TV on the fine art sales this season. Paintings did not bring the anticipated grand total. Hard times? No, not a lack of money. Apparently, the offerings were mediocre. People are holding onto their finest paintings, knowing they will retain value in the expected inflationary era that is anticipated. I believe the same is true of good figures: people are holding onto them. But if you had a few great pieces and needed cash, where would you go? I would go to the top end of the trade, perhaps to the very dealer I bought the items from. Others are doing just that, and that is why the best dealers can still get fine stock. I know these dealers have to pay top dollar to get good stock--and that ensures good things continue to hold their value. If you see a great figure, buy it. Don't pass by a beautiful bocage, a marked figure, a great pair, or something that takes your fancy. Another may never come along. Carpe Diem.
And in the midst of this figure drought, I struggle to write. So I looked at my picture archive, where I keep thousands of figures filed by subject. The subject list is extensive, with titles that are flexible to say the least. There are over 100 folders, but when all else fails, I have a folder titled MISCELLANEOUS.
I heard a report on TV on the fine art sales this season. Paintings did not bring the anticipated grand total. Hard times? No, not a lack of money. Apparently, the offerings were mediocre. People are holding onto their finest paintings, knowing they will retain value in the expected inflationary era that is anticipated. I believe the same is true of good figures: people are holding onto them. But if you had a few great pieces and needed cash, where would you go? I would go to the top end of the trade, perhaps to the very dealer I bought the items from. Others are doing just that, and that is why the best dealers can still get fine stock. I know these dealers have to pay top dollar to get good stock--and that ensures good things continue to hold their value. If you see a great figure, buy it. Don't pass by a beautiful bocage, a marked figure, a great pair, or something that takes your fancy. Another may never come along. Carpe Diem.
And in the midst of this figure drought, I struggle to write. So I looked at my picture archive, where I keep thousands of figures filed by subject. The subject list is extensive, with titles that are flexible to say the least. There are over 100 folders, but when all else fails, I have a folder titled MISCELLANEOUS.
I call this figure "Girl with Hat"...or should it be "Hat with Girl"? You just can't miss that hat, but she is among only two dozen figures that defy categorizing. What else but miscellaneous?
This lady with att-i-tude, courtesy Andrew Dando, also remains homeless/miscellaneous in my e-filing cabinet..
Don't forget the Dando's Exhibition online this Saturday at noon, UK time.
Another homeless person is this sweet figure, courtesy Richard Gould Antiques. I love the red jacket. I have seen this figure with a low bocage to either side, but alas that example was off its base. Who is he and what is he doing? I have no idea, so he remains Miscellaneous.
Each to his own, and some of you might just love mansion house dwarves. I don't....and I am seeking an excuse to not save their pictures at all. Meanwhile, these too hang out in Miscellaneous.
This pair are clearly the stars of my MISCELLANEOUS folder. They are in the Brighton Museum and they are stunners.
I haven't filed this couple under DANDIES because they are not dressed so. Their attire is a little earlier. Stella Beddoe, who knows her museum collection so well, believes that the lady's hat suggests she may represent Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. All collectors who want figures restored to 'perfection', please take a moment to ponder the untouched beauty of this pair.
