What a collection of Doulton Adam Partridge Auctioneers have coming up this week!

Included in their choice gathering of rare figures is this fabulous example of Charles J. Noke’s Shylock, that most famous of characters from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. in Shakespeare’s play he is outwitted by Portia in his claim for his ‘pound of flesh’. Interestingly the role was played by two theatre greats who inspired Noke and other modellers to create some of the most recognisable Doulton figures produced – Sir Henry Irving and Herbert Beerbohm.

Noke had previously modelled a similar but monumental version of Shylock as part of the Vellum figures range in the late 19th century. this HN example is 19cm.

Returning to our example in hand – you can see that the piece is marked underneath Titanian and that is because this body was used in a selection of early figures from Spook HN50 through to A Mandarin HN382. There is no particular rhyme as to why a Titanian body was used other than the suggestion that the decorating technique may produce a richer result. A further example HN 317 has been discovered and even a completely lustred one.

This wonderful example at Partridges fits the description of HN 79 with his yellow sleeves and multicoloured cloak. He was produced from 1917 until his mild was destroyed in the 1930s, although he cannot have been a popular figure at the time due to his complete scarcity today.