I want you to see some smaller figures that have crossed my path recently. We all should love tiny treasures because they add punch to any collection. The first figure is rather special because it bears the rare TITTENSOR mark.
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Off the top of my head, this figure is only about 4 inches tall. For a little figure, it is wonderfully crisp, and the glaze is bright. You can see the TITTENSOR mark clearly on the reverse. We associate Tittensor with under-glaze figures, but I have recorded four enamel-painted figures with the Tittensor mark. Three of these have bocages--and the bocages are quite different from the bocages on Tittensor's under-glaze figures. I suspect that enamel-painted figures mark a subsequent phase in Tittensor's potting career.
For a long, long time, I have owned this little figure titled GUITAR PLAYER.
For a long, long time, I have owned this little figure titled GUITAR PLAYER.
She was made by John Dale of Burslem and is marked "I. DALE BURSLEM" on the reverse. I was thrilled when I got her. She sits on the palm of my hand, and its as if her whole little world is within my grasp. A fellow collector has owned her companion, titled PIPE PLAYER, for a long time.
That yellow staining in the crotch area looks as if this PIPE PLAYER had an accident! Oddly, it is far more apparent in a photo than in real life. In any event, I was delighted when its owner recently parted with this little man. Here they are, reunited at last! Yes, both are marked.
Notice the lines of indentations--rather like teeth marks--that you can see on the backs of both bases. Those occur frequently on Dale figures, as do the bright apple-green bases. These bocage flowers are also specific to Dale. I am really thrilled to have completed this pair. A small collecting triumph that gives me much pleasure.
Marked figures are always a special thrill, but most of our figures are unmarked, and they can be every bit as delightful. I photographed this couple recently.
Marked figures are always a special thrill, but most of our figures are unmarked, and they can be every bit as delightful. I photographed this couple recently.
This homely couple are not dandies. Rather, I think they are simply a courting couple. I haven't seen them before, and what a fascinating glimpse of a bygone era. Peeping into the past with my figures gives me endless pleasure.
