Two weeks ago, a collector emailed to ask if I had seen the Turks on John Howard's site. I had not....but the minute I saw them, my heart plummeted. I had not been quick enough or vigilant enough. The little spill vase, with a Turk to either side of the prettiest trumpet spill, was just delicious. But the collector has seen it first. I have to be fair. So, I replied that the figure was quite lovely and that she should buy it.
Trumpet spills can be a bit overwhelming, but this little baby comes together perfectly. And the colors are so pretty. Trumpet spills with Turks are really quite rare. I have only three in my archive. The one below is a bit of a sore point. I didn't buy it when it came on the market a LONG time ago because my husband didn't like the trumpet. It was in Jonathan Horne's stock, and from there it quickly moved to a happy home.
I have waited and waited....and then I was pipped at the post this month! I gritted my teeth and got on with work. At moments like this, I tell myself "no-one is dead." That puts my petty peeve in context! And I was really pleased that the figure had a good home, and I would enjoy it by proxy, so to speak. And then the collector emailed to tell me that she had rejected the group because there was something missing from the base.
Look carefully at the base. There is a dark patch at the man's feet. If you compare it to the second example, you can see that a little leaf might have been in that spot--and John was, of course, quick to tell me about that loss. The loss of a leaf is no big deal--especially when the whole rest of the figure is in original condition. Some naughty child picked the leaf off the base, and a kitchen-table restorer dabbed some gunk on the spot.
So third time lucky. I POUNCED on John's spill vase--and I am sure that it wouldn't have lasted long. The best things are worth waiting for, and perhaps my husband was right....for once! After all, John's vase has a far prettier spill that the one I first coveted.
By the way, both these spill vases were both made by the same pot bank. Look at the flowers on the bases. Big flowers of exactly that form occur repeatedly on a Group of figures that Pat Halfpenny dubbed the "Patriotic Group." Pat chose that name because the figures often have red, white, and blue swirls on their bases. In any event, the flower that you see on both examples is very specific to the Patriotic Group, and its presence confirms the attribution.
Look carefully at the base. There is a dark patch at the man's feet. If you compare it to the second example, you can see that a little leaf might have been in that spot--and John was, of course, quick to tell me about that loss. The loss of a leaf is no big deal--especially when the whole rest of the figure is in original condition. Some naughty child picked the leaf off the base, and a kitchen-table restorer dabbed some gunk on the spot.
So third time lucky. I POUNCED on John's spill vase--and I am sure that it wouldn't have lasted long. The best things are worth waiting for, and perhaps my husband was right....for once! After all, John's vase has a far prettier spill that the one I first coveted.
By the way, both these spill vases were both made by the same pot bank. Look at the flowers on the bases. Big flowers of exactly that form occur repeatedly on a Group of figures that Pat Halfpenny dubbed the "Patriotic Group." Pat chose that name because the figures often have red, white, and blue swirls on their bases. In any event, the flower that you see on both examples is very specific to the Patriotic Group, and its presence confirms the attribution.
