Ralph Wood Figures

I always thought Ralph Wood figures were a bit of a yawn. Generally decorated in colored glazes, their ghostly appearance just didn't push my button--although I had to admit the modelling was superb.

Then everything changed. I visited a UK collection that included a Ralph Wood figure of Minerva. She was decorated in enamels--and these were not any enamels. They melted as I looked at them. Puddles of scrumptious colour that played with the light in a tantalizing manner. I was smitten by what was the finest Staffordshire figure I had ever seen. And so my antennae went up in search of Ralph Wood enamel painted figures, and over time I have acquired a few.

Today, one more Ralph Wood (RW) figure was added to my shelf. It is a rare example, titled "Bag Piper."

Ralph Wood figure titled "Bag Piper." Made in Staffordshire, circa 1795. H: 8-1/2".

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At first glance, I knew this was a RW figure. How did I know? The particular font used for the title is only found on RW figures. Together, the red line on the base, the enameling of the mound, and the figure mold itself all pointed to a RW attribution. A further clue: Look at the man's very large hands. His right hand is longer than his forearm!--and large, well modeled hands are another RW feature. I bought the figure from a photograph...a rather murky one at that...and couldn't wait to get it out the box and turn it around.

The back of the figure confirmed my opinion. Note that the red line on the base is only on the front and both sides, NOT on the back. This is yet another RW decorative feature. And there it was! The cherry on the top was the number 21, impressed on the back. RW figures often have numbers impressed into them. The Potteries Museum owns a bag piper, similarly impressed with 21.

You can see the same attributes--font used for script, red lines on three sides of base, decoration of base mound--on my pair of Flemish musicians.

Each is titled "Flemish Music" and  the mould number 132 is impressed behind each. Falkner records this mould number for a "girl with a musical instrument" (colored glazed figures are not titled and even some enamel figures are untitled, hence Falkner's generic description). He records 66 for "man, hurdy gurdy", which is what our fellow is. But on this particular day in the pot bank, someone impressed both bases with the same number.

Although we call these numbers "mould numbers", they should really be called figure numbers because each was, I believe, impressed into the base at the time the figure was assembled. The mould used for the base itself was a generic form, with no number, and it could be used for varying figures.

The seller of my RW bag piper did not know she was selling a RW figure. She apparently didn't notice the number impressed in the rear. In fact, she didn't even think to include a photograph of the rear of the figure.  This is why a little knowledge is a dangerous thing! Lots of knowledge goes a long way in helping ferret out the unusual...and that's what makes collecting fun.:)

Don't forget to notice Aurea Carter's "Flemish Music" in the Showcase. Clearly a RW figure, it is impressed 131. Yes, 131, not 132!  Why the difference? Wish I knew. We aren't quite sure of the purpose of these numbers. The most we can say is that the same number occurs routinely on each figure--with exceptions.