Thanks to those of you who had kind and encouraging words about the very amateur YouTube videos I have produced to date. I struggled fearfully with those, was not happy with the results, and swore I would never do another. But never say never, and I hate admitting defeat, so I persevered and spent the last few weeks working on two new videos. The first showcases musicians, and there are lots of them! See the  link below.
 
Two hours after posting, I had my first feedback: "Absolutely wonderful." Admittedly, the figures are gorgeous--but all credit goes to the potters. If you don't want to listen to my voice, turn down the sound--but do watch this on a monitor rather than a teeny phone.

​The second video? Wait and see:).

My YouTube channel is Early Antique Staffordshire Pottery Figures, and you can see ALL my videos there. You can also access them via the Videos tab at the top of this page. The direct link for my latest offering is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bVDWYgb_WU&t=2s
​

As some of you know, I include my definition of "figures" to include plaques with figural subjects, and recently, I was able to photograph two very special pairs of early Staffordshire pottery plaques that  fit my definition. Both pairs relate to the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars that followed it.

The first pair commemorates King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, who were both executed by guillotine before jeering crowds during the Reign of Terror. In January, 1793, Louis XVI faced his executioner with dignity. "I die innocent; I forgive my enemies," were his last words.That October, Marie Antoinette maintained her regal composure to the end, even apologizing to her executioner when she stepped on his foot. "Pardon, Monsier. I did not do it on purpose," were her last words.

Both plaques, appropriately edged in black, were probably made around 1793, and both are simply exquisite. Each is about 9.5" in height, in high relief, and carefully painted. Notice her tightly twisted ringlets and the ermine trimming her garment. She looks much as she does in her portraits, but he a little less so.

Initially, many British people sympathized with the French revolutionaries, but Louis' execution in January 1793 shocked the public to its core, and the next month Britain and France were at war. Europe united in a broad coalition against France that ushered in the Napoleonic era, which ended in 1815. 

The Battle of Vitoria in Spain in June 1813 was a decisive encounter in the Napoleonic era. Here, Britain under Wellington resoundingly defeat the French, who then fled from the Iberian peninsula. Vitoria was a  pivotal battle that led to Napoleon's abdication the following year, and the pair of plaques below celebrate two aspects of that conflict.

The first plaque depicting Wellington and two celebrating soldiers is impressed WELLINGTON and PEACE, At Vitoria, Wellington (then Arthur Wellesly, the Marquess of Wellington) commanded British, Portuguese, and Spanish forces, and King Joseph Bonaparte of Spain and Marshal Jean-Baptise Jourdan commanded the French army. It was Wellington's brilliant strategy that forced the French to retreat, thereby ending the French occupation of Spain.

The second plaque depicts soldiers with a canon and treasure chest. The impression PLUNDER  alludes to the chaotic, undisciplined British ransacking of wagons that the French army abandoned as it fled across the Pyrennes. All the armies in the the Peninsular War had looted local inhabitants without restraint, but the French had excelled. Their plunder, estimated then at GBP1 million, included national treasures, artworks from Spanish palaces, the contents of the French treasury, and Joseph Bonaparte's silver chamber pot! In July 1815, a Royal Warrant granted Wellington's army GBP800,000 for booty captured been 1809 and 1815, this no doubt being a sliver or the total haul. Painted on the cannon is180, but I don't know its significance,.

Each plaques has JUNE 1813 painted on the reverse. Both are of unusually fine quality and have been decorated carefully with silver luster. Their potter was, without doubt, a perfectionist. The enameling has been  executed with meticulously care--notice how the vine leaves on the second plaque have been both veined and outlined. Also the date, rather than the typical semi-legible scrawl, has been painstakingly executed. Both are particularly heavy because they were made from thick slabs of clay, and their backs have been carefully flattened and smoothed. I expect the potter used thick slabs to minimize shrinkage and buckling during firing, and he succeeded.

The only other plaque I have recorded commemorating Vitoria is quite different in appearance, but it is charming. It uses the same motifs as the first plaque (with modifications to the tree), and the ribbon on the left is impressed VITORIA rather than PEACE. As often happened, shrinkage in firing caused it to buckle slightly, and shrinkage also accounts for the central motif being a little smaller than that on the plaque made by the unknown potter with a type-A personality.

When a collector dies, his or her collection dies too. A fine collection is greater than the sum of its parts, so it always tears at my heart when a carefully assembled collection dies its own death, and its figures must move to new homes.

Herbert and Nancy Hunt were legendary Texans, renowned for Herbert's accomplished career in the global oil industry as well as their joint civic and philanthropic largesse. Their collection, assembled over fifty years, is catalogued in my book Holding the Past. Sadly, recently  both Herbert and Nancy have passed away,

The Hunt Collection is known for having no less than eight menageries, but to my mind its most impressive feature is the manner in which it was assembled. Nancy and Herbert had very different criteria for assessing potential acquisitions. Nancy often disliked a figure that Herbert found fascinating, and Herbert frequently had little interest in a figure Nancy considered charming, but there were no disagreements or reluctant approvals. If a figure pleased one of them, that was enough. Their collection reflected the unwavering support and deep affection that were keys to their seventy-two years of marriage. It was a tribute to their love.

Nancy and Herbert shared their hobby with a quiet passion, not driven by the need for recognition or status. Step by step, they built an unrivaled private collection. I was honored to share their collection with them, but, above all, I was privileged to know these two unassuming, considerate, and generous collectors. I lack words to adequately reflect my love and admiration. Their daughters, who now own the Hunt Collection, are thoughtfully and responsibly seeking new owners for many of the treasures their parents so carefully acquired. Some are already in appreciative new homes, with many more to follow.

I want to call to your attention to a small group of figures that comprise a "Natural Family"--a term that my friend the late Malcolm Hodkinson coined to describe figures made by the same pottery. The figures all have distinctive bases of the same form. Among them is this charming pair of musicians.

You may recall from my previous post this sweet pair on bases formed in much the same way. Clearly, they originated from the same pottery.

These figures all share a haunting naivety, and, for that reason, it has been suggested that Sherratt made them, but there is little doubt in my mind that they originated from some other unidentified pottery. Largest and most striking of all are the soldier and sailor below. Both are over 8 inches tall, and, I suspect, intended as companion models.

The slightly smaller figure below depicts the actress Maria Foote in the role of Ariette in The Little Jockey. Clearly, it is on the same base and belongs to this "natural family." As Miss Foote appeared in this role in January 1831, we can date this figure to no earlier than 1831---and I suspect that all the figures above were made in the 1830s too.

The design source is Orlando Hodgson's print titled ‘Miss Foote as the Little Jockey," and, as noted in the previous blog post, the figures of a boy and a girl-with-doll are also after  prints.

​And now, I digress. Miss Foote was a mediocre actress, but when she appeared,  as Ariette in breeches, she was the talk of the town. To add to her allure, she had a scandalous past, which included illegitimate children by the son of the Earl of Berkeley and a breach of promise suit against another suitor. By 1831, she was getting long in the tooth, by the standards of the day, so she retired that March to marry Charles Stanhope, the 4th Earl of Harrington.

Figures of Miss Foote as the Little Jockey were made into the Victorian era, even though her stage career was over. That seems surprising from today's perspective, but remember that The Death of Munrow figures were made into the 1830s, more than forty years after Lt. Munro succumbed to a tiger in 1792.

Miss Foote was not a great actress, but she was lauded for her beauty. Sherratt made the bust of her below, most likely in the 1830s when she was no longer a stage name.

Collecting early Staffordshire figures is as much about collecting memories as it is about amassing objects. More than twenty years ago, my good friend Nick Burton found an early Staffordshire figure of a girl holding her doll, and he acquired her for me. I seldom look at her, below, without remembering Nick's mother, who enjoyed  early doll houses and admired this small treasure as we had tea in her lovely home. ​

The majority of early figures were  made to pair, and this little girl too had a mate: a boy with his hands in his pockets. It irks me that in all the years I have not been able to find a perfect companion for her.  Potential matches were always too tall, too short, or a poor color match. The boy below left, for example, was too tall by almost an inch, and, whereas her pot is creamy, his was glaringly white. Better no marriage than a bad marriage. The boy on the right would have worked. At six inches, he was the correct height, but he had sold.

To my mind, these figures are all charming. How did we get from these to Ken and Barbie? The pottery that made them made two versions of the girl. As you see below (currently in the stock of RTS Antiques), the girl has a different, perhaps smaller, head.

Some of the girls and boys below appear to have porcellaneous bodies, and I suspect another pottery made some, if not all, of them.

Bigger can be better, and the figure of a girl with a doll that I covet is the whopper below. She is 11  inches tall, and I have only recorded two examples of her.

These big figures are entirely free-standing, with no stump behind them. They differ in the placement of the doll and other small details, so perhaps they come from two different potteries, but aren't both wonderful? My inner child craves one. I have yet to record the companion boy, but I live in hope.

At last, my set of pearlware figures of the Three Graces, Faith, Hope, and Charity, is complete. Obadiah Sherratt made these petite figures circa 1825, measuring just under 6 inches at most.  Sadly, anyone who buys a full set will never know the satisfaction of building a set.

Figures of these three ladies, with a few exceptions, are large clunkers that I don't want to own, but I have held out for a good while to complete this sweet little set.

I visited the late Malcolm Hodkinson and his wife Judith about twenty years ago. Malcolm was an extraordinary man, brilliant and endlessly generous in sharing his knowledge. He pioneered the field of attribution, and he had a particular interest in Sherratt. His display of small Sherratt figures, unlike any I had seen before, blew me away. I was hooked! Malcolm sold me the small pair below from his collection, and in later years he and I shared the thrill of hunting down more tiny gems.
​

Over the years, other collectors have helped me complete pairs.

Even less conventional is this "pair," bought together.

The group below left suggests that the companion figure for the piper is probably the shepherdess you see below right, but I have yet to find one that is a reasonable color  match.

I have not found companions for the two girls below, but who knows what tomorrow will bring? Therein lies the thrill of collecting.

And then several teeny figures are related but don't necessarily pair. What's to be made of these three dogs and a cat? They are nigh impossible to find, and I speculate that because of their small size they were readily lost or discarded in bygone times.

Or are any of these intended to pair? The man with the hurdy-gurdy and the lady with the tambourine occur on Sherratt menageries and, like some of the other small figures above, are also found in larger groups. 

Small figures spice up any display. They draw the eye immediately. But, because of their relatively modest price, don't expect to find them in a dealer's stock. If you see one, grab it!

 P.S. Need Hope???
Now that my set of the three Graces is complete, I have a spare Hope, If you need one, please contact me. 

I recently had the pleasure and privilege of photographing this military equestrian, and I must admit he has stolen my heart. He is beautifully modeled--note the super-crisp details of his attire--and the enameling is as pretty as possible. The whole figure has vigor and movement. Who could resist it?

I first encountered an equestrian of this form at Bonhams, London, about twenty years ago, and the figure above is the only other I have since seen.

Military equestrians are uncommon, and the next closest model is the one below, where the horse is prancing rather than rearing. This model is lovely and very difficult to procure, and this example is also super-sharp, although the prize goes to the figure with the rearing horse.

The vast majority of early Staffordshire figures are paired, and non-military equestrian figures were routinely made to partner, as you see in the pairs of assorted sizes below.

When it comes to finding the partner for the equestrian on the prancing pony (blue coat) I am stumped, but I believe he would have had one. The equestrian on the rearing horse  definitely has a partner, and she is below.

Not as gorgeous as her mate, I think, but I would grab her if I could. Unfortunately, they will never be reunited. In 1910, she sold for GBP7 (now about $10) at Christie's, London, to Dr. Glaisher, who bequeathed her along with the rest of his splendid collection to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. There she has resided ever since for nigh on a century. I traveled to the museum a few years back, but alas, she was in "reserve," where probably she will languish in darkness forever more. If I ruled the world, museums would own no more than they can display!

As I have said repeatedly, I take enormous pleasure in finding unusual or rare small or damaged figures that might not make it onto dealer's shelves. The economics is against them because a puny price brings with it a puny profit. Lest you question my commitment, the only addition to our family collection this entire year is the little figure on the left below.

I have had the male equestrian for several years, and I bought him because I had not seen another like him, although RTS Antiques (Damon Revans-Turner) recently had one. Then by chance this year the companion female appeared. Is she a dead match? No, but she is as close as I will ever get, and they stand happily together. So much pleasure for a very modest outlay.

I am always saving images to add to earlystaffordshirefigures.com, where I record enamel-painted figures that I have learned of since publishing Staffordshire Figures 1780-1840. It also shows the very many figures decorated in other modes that were not included in those books. I probably add at least 300  images each year, and the task keeps me sharp! I am blown away by some of the unusual things that pop up. Recently, I came across the unrecorded Sherratt figures of a Turk on the left. Hitherto, the little Turk on the right has been the only recorded Sherratt Turk.

Clearly both figures use some common mold parts, but what prompted Sherratt to create two versions of a figure that, in relation to all else made then, was quite insignificant? We will never know.

I recently discovered the 8-inch lady below in the Museum of Denmark, of all places, and, of course, added her to earlystaffordshirefigures.com. I suspect she is English, although her base is atypical. I am not sure if she once was mounted on a larger base, but I live in hope of finding another that will solve this mystery.

Do you know what differentiates a Kashmir goat from a common-or-garden goat? It's the horns! Kashmir goats have dramatically long curly horns. A Staffordshire version came to auction recently. The bocage appeared too restored for my taste, but, nonetheless, I loaded it onto earlystaffordshirefigures.com. I have only seen one other Kashmir goat, a charming example with a quite different base and bocage, below, which too is on my site.

But I get distracted and ramble, as always happens when I work on earlystaffordshirefigures.com. One figure or one train of thought leads to another. The sheer number of Staffordshire figures is mind-blowing, and tracking them keeps my neural networks in overdrive! The brain is a strange thing. I am face-blind (embarrassing in social situations) but I seldom forget a figure.

​When I prepared Staffordshire Figures 1780-1840, the elegant pair below in the Brighton and Hove Museums grabbed my heart. Unforgettable! I didn't know how to categorize them by subject, so they had to endure the ignominy of being placed in the chapter titled "Miscellaneous Subjects"  towards the end of the book.

The figures are around nine inches tall. Both have lost their bases, and she has lost a hand. Despite this, I would happily give this handsome couple space on my shelves. The closest I have come is the single figure below lumped into a mixed lot at auction recently. Alas, she has had a hard life, but she will make a spendid addition to an interesting collection.

I suspect--but can't prove--that Leeds Pottery may have made these figures. The bocage is formed in the manner of Leeds bocages. Add to that, the lady, to my mind, somewhat resembles the figure below, which is impressed with the Leeds Pottery mark.

Oh, thievery, oh, calamity. Is that a weird title for a discussion on early Staffordshire figures? Read on, and all will, sadly, become apparent

Recently, a collector friend emailed me a picture of the two figures above that he was interested in buying. Both are decorated under the glaze in a typical Pratt palette. The female is titled SPORTSMANS WIFE, and the male HELENDER BOY. What, my friend asked, might a Helender Boy be? My friend is usually a step ahead of me in tracking down obscure sources, and for the next few hours we both ransacked material of the period in our determination to find out who this little fella was. And then, by luck, the  penny dropped and I realized that our Helender Boy was meant to be a Highlander Boy! We well know that spelling was not the potters' strong point, and this is just another instance of that. To seal the argument, the same little figure occurs decorated in enamels, and here his Scottish garb is quite obvious.

My friend has one of the most interesting collections I know of, so I was pleased when he acquired the Helender Boy and Sportsmans Wife , along with a pair of sweet bocage figures, similarly decorated under the glaze.

As I had not recorded these figures before, I was relieved to see them go to a deserving and appreciative home. And then disaster struck. A few days later, I received an email from him The subject line, you may have guessed, was "Oh, thievery, oh calamity." The figures had been stolen on arrival at a London address.

I suspect that the thief was disappointed that his/her haul didn't contain something with quick street value, and I shudder to think that he/she may have tossed them because, small as they are, they are special. If you come across them, please let me know, and I will do the necessary to reunite them with their rightful owner.

On my watch, a handful of other items have been stolen. Notably, the two figures below, a stirrup cup and a unique equestrian figure, were stolen in transit to the US about ten years ago. Sadly, the latter too is the only one of its kind, and both have been lost forever.

And then there is the story of an armorial vase impressed with the Walton mark that was stolen. If complete, it would have looked like the beauty below, but in this instance both the lion and the unicorn had been lost. This did not stop an unscrupulous dealer selling what was left of the object to American collectors several decades ago--back in those days when images in books were few and far between, some in the trade got away with anything.  ​

I never fail to look at one of these Walton vases without wondering whether they were indeed vases. The opening is small for  spills, and much too small for flowers. Did they originally have a stopper of sorts that has been lost over time? To my eye, the top seems unfinished in its present form. After all, the coat of arms of that period had a lion atop. ​

I don't know if I will live long enought to encounter a Walton spill vase with a stopper, but, in my mind, these "vases" were containers, and a stopper was part of the deal.

The year 2023 was a so-so collecting year, with fewer and fewer pieces of early Staffordshire coming on the market. But it went out with a bang for me, thanks to this unrecorded felid that strolled into Bonhams, London, looking for a new victim, and I was happy to become its  prey.

The figure depicts the death of "a young boy of about 11 years of age," as told in newspaper reports of 1834 relating the escape of a lion and tiger from Wombwell's menagerie. I unearthed the gory story, which is covered in all my books, after purchasing the figure below almost twenty years ago.

 As you see, this time the tiger mauls a mother and child, presumably the "mother with a child in her arms" described in the press. Importantly, the seemingly odd title, MENAGERIE, pointed my search in the right direction. Today, the internet would make that search relatively easy, but back then I had to travel to the British Library Newspaper Archive in Colingdale  and painstakingly scan through microfilm of newspapers of the period. Pinpointing the story that inspired figure groups on this theme made it worthwhile, and I admit to arrogance in thinking I own this story. Learning later that it had been fake news has not diminished my pleasure one iota. 
​
​Sherratt made these two figure groups  in around 1834, and he made a few others on the same theme. I guess these models had a short life because the public soon learned that the event had not happened. The few that survive today are all somewhat different, and I have tracked them through the years. Again, they are all illustrated in my various works. Significantly, they are among the very few figures that can be dated with accuracy.