Victorian Staffordshire figures abound with royalty of all nationalities, but not so the early figures. Kings, queens, and other members of Britain's royal family were rarely captured in clay in the early 1800s. King George III ruled from 1760 to 1820, yet not a single Staffordshire figure portrays him. His son, George IV ruled from 1820 to 1830. His debauched life style and his scandalous marriage kept him very much in the public eye for most of his life, so you would think that figures of him would be plentiful. Alas not. I know of only this one in the Willett Collection, Brighton Museum.
The figure is charming--even if the king was less so. Alongside is a contemporary image of George IV, so you can see the likeness to the figure is quite strong. That puffy hairdo is unmistakable! The dark colors of the print hide the vastness of the king's overindulged body, and the tight coat on the figure was surely an attempt to reign in that mass in the era before spandex.
I simply don't know why there are not more figures of King George IV. King William was next on the throne for a few years (1830-1837 ). Again we have no figures of him, although we do have rare busts of William and his queen.
Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837. Young, sweet, and oh-so-virtuous, she was quite the opposite of her naughty kingly uncles--but again she was not captured in clay in the early years of her reign. In fact, just one early figure of her is known (photo courtesy of Jonathan Horne).
Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837. Young, sweet, and oh-so-virtuous, she was quite the opposite of her naughty kingly uncles--but again she was not captured in clay in the early years of her reign. In fact, just one early figure of her is known (photo courtesy of Jonathan Horne).
You can see that the crown rests alongside Victoria, so the figure was probably made before her coronation in 1838. Look at all the work that went into the molds for this figure. Are you amazed that more were not made? And is the figure not lovely? It was made by the "Sherratt" pot bank, as evidenced by the distinctive base. Strangely, the figure of the young queen is after this engraving of the actress Maria Malibran that appeared in the Dramatic Magazine.
So what is the link between Queen Victoria and Maria Malibran? Well, the figure of Queen Victoria is from the very same molds as were used for a figure of Maria Malibran. Yes, a "Sherratt" figure of just this form but titled MALIBRAN is documented. Maria Malibran (1808–1836), a renowned beauty and a mezzo-soprano of extraordinary vocal range and power, earned international accolades and adoration on the stage. In 1836, Miss Malibran suffered permanent head injuries when falling off a horse. Thereafter, she performed a handful of times before collapsing on the stage in Manchester in September 1836 and dying days later. Maria Malibran died shortly before Victoria came to the throne, so the figure of Malibran was conveniently recycled to portray the young uncrowned queen. Was that not quick thinking on the part of a potter?
I know of only two figures of Miss Malibran. One is the "Sherratt" figure titled MALIBRAN previously mentioned. The other is in the Fitzwilliam Museum (the photos below is from the museum's site.)
The Fitzwilliam data record describes this figure as a Victorian flatback. First, it is not a flatback. It is beautifully modelled and painted in the round. Secondly, I strongly suspect the figure was made not much later than Maria Malibran's death in 1836, and that would make it pre-Victorian. In any event, it remains a glorious figure with a fascinating link to royalty.
