This is another one of my larger 1860s Staffordshire Flatback Figurines.
This one takes the form of a spill vase - which you would have put on your mantlepiece or in the kitchen and you would have popped long tapers or spills to light lamps and fires etc into. It is a nice one with nice three dimensional modelling.
The spill container takes the form of a tree stump to the left-hand side - and which is painted with a bright orange interior. The spread of spills would have resembled the branches of the tree when on display.
This one is harder to source.
It comprised of a gentleman standing beside the tree. He is wearing a cap with a trailing pink feather. He has an inky blue jacket with a striped sash. Often these type of figures wear a kilt - but this one is different in that the man is wearing short baggy breeches - decorated with vertical stripes. He wears black leather boots. The lady is probably a shepherdess, is a broken crook lies on the ground in front of here. She is much smaller than the man and is seated, She has a blue bodice and billowing pink skirt decorated with little flecks. She is holding a basket of fruits. To the right hand side is a spotted dog - he jumps up and clings onto his master. Strange symbolism in this one! The tree has applied bocage decoration and more bocage runs around the side of the lady and around the top section of the standing man.
The spill vase is in good condition with no damages. There is a bit of routine and expected crazing to the glaze this is most noticeable on the reversed. The paintwork on this one is a little crude but it remains an attractive model.
Dimensions: The height is 9 1/4 inches. The width is 5 inches The depth is 3 inches.
The figurine will be carefully packed and sent to you with Royal Mail Tracked (Small Parcel). This will be applied to your order at the checkout.
Again, with a Scottish connection - as the model was inspired by the Scottish poet Thomas Campbell's work: with refers to Old Dog Tray being Ever Faithful. The poem was written in 1836 and was called "The Harper" (The Irish Harper's Lamentation). This sentimental ballad features an old vagrant harper who had fallen on harder times. He thinks back to his happier younger days when he was more carefree and had the unconditional love of his old faithful doggie, called Tray.
The figurine shows the young man sitting near the banks of the River Shannon with his beautiful big black and white dog.
It dates to the 1860s and it is in very fine antique condition.
There are no chips or cracks and it displays very well. There is a little craquelure evident on the back and such age-related secure cracks evident on the white, unpainted areas on the reverse - all as photographed.
The decoration on the front is beautiful and painterly - and all the details are nice and crisp.
There is a strange finishing of the interior of the spill vase area as photographed - the modeller has forgotten to smooth the surface down inside. Again, I have photographed all this for you.
Dimensions: Height 11 3/4 inches. Width 8 inches and Depth is 3 inches.
Weight unpacked is 1.7 kg
Again, must be an early edition from the original mould as all the details are crisp and without signs for wear etc. It must have been a complicated figure to produce with all the 3-D pieces on the figurine. It is less of a flatback - and more of a figure group. This is a very fine model of this subject, please see all my photographs for the details - this forms part of my description.
I have priced this large figure to reflect the following its undamaged condition, quality of the modelling and paintwork, larger size and its relative rarity value.