This is a delightful little figurine that is entitled: The Tithe Pig.
It is an early 20th-century issue - taken by William Kent from earlier 19th-century moulds that he had acquired around 1900. It is certainly a decorative piece - and looks good on display.
What a strange title: let me explain it to you.
In England in the early 19th century, everyone was required to give a certain portion of their income (typically 10%) to their local church. These payments, called tithes, would have been made by farmers in the form of crops or animals such as pigs and were the source of the local Church of England clergyman's income. It was a practice that was carried out for centuries and by the time this figurine was made - it had become a very contentious one.
This little figure was made with some humour - and the farmer's wife is not just handing over the farm's produce but also one of her ten children who looks like a little piggie! hence the comical title the Tithe Pig.
Here we see Farmer Hob and his wife handing over their tithe to the local church minister - dressed in black to the right-hand side of the group.
They stand in front of a tree with little bocage details forming the leaves and blooms on the canopy behind them. The farmer holds a little brown piglet in his arm and a bottle in the other. His wife holds a baby in her arms. At their feet is a yellow basket full of eggs (the basket handle is intact and has never been broken; the handle is often lost!) two little brown pigs are on the ground next to the basket.
It is very sweet - measuring 5 3/4 inches in height - with a width of 5 inches and a depth of 3 1/2 inches.
My figurine is in good condition - dating to the early part of the 20th century. This later Kent version taken from earlier moulds is certainly a nice one - and listed at a fair price.
There are no obvious damages and the paintwork is fine as you can see in all my photographs. I have taken lots of images for your inspection - please check these as they form part of my description.
UK Postage with Royal Mail Recorded would be £4.95 and this would be applied to your order at checkout.