The hurdy-gurdy player in Houston, however, differs noticably from anything I have seen before. He has a broader face--quite a friendly, smiling face. The detailing on his clothing is different, indicating that different molds were involved in his manufacture (at least from the waist up). And the sound box on his hurdy-gurdy is well-defined and it is actually cut open. I recall Andrew Dando telling me he had seen this feature on a hurdy-gurdy player in Pratt colors quite recently, so perhaps there is a relationship. Finding this figure made my day!
My friend also has this charming figure in his collection.
You might like this small gardener from the Buff Base Group.
On a last note, my Houston friend could not have been a more charming host. We had a wonderful dinner at his home, and I wish you could have seen the flowers on the table--and in particular the figures among them. Four figures emblematic of the four seasons coupled with four cherubs. What could be more gorgeous?
If you go to Houston, visit Bayou Bend. To my delight, the collection holds two marked Ralph Wood busts, a Ralph Wood figure of Dr. Franklin (impressed "43"), a pair of the boxers Cribb and Molineux, and a host of other delights.