Category Archives: Artists

Artists, Figure Articles, Peggy Davies

A look at how Peggy’s figurine Denise evolved!

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We all know that an artist’s original model can change dramatically during the pre-production and even sometimes post production phase.

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A chance sighting of this early version of Peggy Davies’ lady Denise reminded me of this! Here you can see an early prototype where there has been an attempt to create a lace effect over the skirt and also around the top of the dress. It makes quite a startling change to the figure and you can see why cost would have prohibited production of this elaborate model.

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A typical version of Denise HN2477 from the Vanity Fair series introduced in the 1980’s.

Many thanks to Jonathan at the Potteries Specialist Auctions for use of the photograph from their upcoming sale on 15th November.

Art deco, Artists, Figure Articles, Leslie Harradine

Doulton’s blossoming beauties!

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Of the many collecting themes based around colour that are so popular with collectors today, there is a particularly beautiful theme that is not quite as obvious. This being the group of figures with floral decoration to their dresses, cloaks and skirts. Only when looking at our own collections do we often realise that we have several examples in this style in our own collections – perhaps you have others we can add to this picture? I’m sure you’ll agree they make a stunning group! My personal favourites are those on Leslie Harradine’s figures.

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Alchemist, Art deco, Art nouveau, Artists

Royal Doulton’s Alchemists.

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Sung and Chang catalogues featuring an alchemist figure.

Since the earliest times of Doulton’s art studios in Burslem, we have seen a procession of objects reflecting our continued fascination with alchemy.

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A Kingsware Alchemist jug.

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A fantastic Sung Alchemist style plaque sold at Bonhams.

Be it the search for the fabled philosopher’s stone, the elixir of life or the ability to turn base metals into gold – the slightest possibility that these may be possible has kept us gripped, as we can trace from literature’s fascination with it too from Shakespeare’s plays right up to J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books.

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The Alchemist from the HN Collection.

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Another portrayal of an Alchemist on an art nouveau Holbein vase.

Artists, Georges Léonce

Another chance find, tells an important part of the Doulton story!

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Back in the early 1880’s John Slater, the first Doulton art director at Burslem was searching for an English china body for Doulton wares. The issue was exasperated by a substantial order from the US for a service provided it was on a china rather than earthenware body. During Slater’s search for a china body, he spent time in France where he met the celebrated ceramic painter of birds, Georges Léonce. This meeting led to a wager between the two as to whether Léonce could produce the same colours on an English china body. The result was Slater’s payment of £50 to Léonce, yet there was a complaint; namely that the plates were not signed. Léonce responded that the signature “was all over. There is no man who can paint birds like Léonce.”

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This plate is a combination of Slater’s photographic transfer technique and hand painting on an earthenware body dated 1883, shortly after the originals were painted. The existing parts of the Léonce service are now in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.

Artists, Joseph Birbeck

Doulton artist profile – Joseph Birbeck snr.

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Another sighting recently was this plate from a fish service painted by the celebrated ceramic artist Joseph Birbeck snr, a member of the distinguished family of artists. Famed for his versatile ability, he is perhaps most famous for his game and fish, the latter often portrayed underwater. Here is a plate from 1909 with a view of a leaping salmon.

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Art deco, Artists, Colourways, Figure Articles, Figure inspiration, Leslie Harradine

An Amazing Adventure – Part 2

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Continuing my look back at last Saturday’s talk, here are a few more choice items from the selection that I took along. The premise of the talk was ‘My Collection’.
In this section the theme was the development of figures, so I took the art nouveau, square Harradine vase along so as to discuss Harradine’s roll but also the links with Doulton from his time as an apprentice modeller, to the period 1910-14 when he supplied models to Lambeth on a freelance basis and finally how the link with Burslem was established with the introduction of his first figure into the HN Collection in 1920.
The first figure we looked at was Harradine’s original model for Micawber and we discussed the process and arrangement he had with Charles Noke.
Next up were the M series and these original boxes for them. Most of these M figures were of course based on Harradine’s larger models.
A popular theme for all figure collectors has always – well since HN1 – been children so I shared a few favourites from the Nursery figures set including a prototype in my collection.
Honey and her inspiration followed, a typical painting by Stanislaus Longley, who Harradine used repeatedly for inspiration. Interestingly this work was also used by the famous London store Liberty for a Christmas catalogue cover in the 1930’s – and that is also pictured.
This section was completed with a discussion on colourways and I shared a version of Clothilde that I have from 1937.

Next time I’ll share some Burslem art wares that we discussed!

Artists, Lambeth

An Amazing Adventure – Part 1

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Several of you have asked about the talk I gave last Saturday to the group of American collectors who came to the UK on tour with Seaway China.
Thus, I have decided to begin to share a few items I took along from my own collection. Here is part 1 – early Lambeth items.

So, I started at Lambeth as a logical starting point focussing on their practical beginnings but then moving on to the Doulton Lambeth art wares and the first artists. George Tinworth was up first in the artists section and I took along two early brochures produced about the great man and his art for everyone to see. The earliest is dated 1887 and it is interesting to see how Doulton really pushed his fame even in these early times. The other is a catalogue of terracotta plaques from 1906.
Next came the Hannah Barlow picture of a cat. Her importance as the first female artist and her technique were discussed, together with the picture itself! Then the small advertising jug – this is actually for Doulton themselves but it makes the point that Doulton ware was a popular medium for promoting all types of businesses. I took along a selection of glass slides and also some blown up copies of the same to illustrate Doulton’s importance in London and also to illustrate it’s former magnificence. Lastly is the unusual squash bowl from 1937 made as a wedding bowl but also to commemorate the opening of the Headquarters of the London Fire Brigade in Lambeth on the same day.
The bowl has humorous scenes relating to the fire brigade around it as you can see below.

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Artists, Figure Articles

Painting Royal Doulton figures.

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I love finding pictures of Doulton’s artists at work and here is a more recent find, one Hazel Tyrer. I imagine it dates to the early 1950’s for although there is no date, the Autumn Breezes being painted still has two feet, something that was altered by the early to mid 1950’s.
The article with the picture details that only men at the time were allowed to paint the faces of figures, something we today find hard to comprehend. I also know that it took 10 years practice or training, at one time, before artists were allowed to actually paint faces. It is interesting to know these details today, before they are lost forever.

Arabian Nights, Art deco, Artists

Royal Doulton’s eastern delights!

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The Cobbler HN542 dated 1925.

Back in the early years of the 20th Century there was great fascination with the ‘exotic East’ most of which had only just entered the consciousness of many people.

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An early colourway of The Mendicant dated 1929.

This fascination by the public en mass no doubt explains the success of the musical play Chu Chin Chow. It opened in 1916 just as the HN Collection too was still being established, thus it is no surprise to find many examples of figures inspired by the east in the collection.

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A colourway of Abdullah dated 1930.

The main character, The Cobbler, was himself immortalised into the collection by Noke himself!

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The base of The Cobbler showing his original factory label.

The popularity of Chu Chin Chow is illustrated by this menu card from 1924, which heralded the return of Doulton’s sales manager from his Australasian tour, much like the tours Michael Doulton does today in his role as ambassador for the Doulton brand. In the menu it sets out the toasts to be made, together with songs to be performed during the dinner that included the Cobbler’s Song from Chu Chin Chowperformed by Jack Noke, Charles’ son who would eventually take over as Art Director at Burslem. Interestingly the cover is also signed by various attendees including Charles Noke.

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Two views of the menu card mentioned.

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Doulton produced several other eastern inspired figures including The Mendicant, The Potter, The Emir and of course the prestige piece The Moor.

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An unusual pair of bookends mounted with The Mendicant colourway (pictured above) and version 2 of Noke’s The Cobbler.

Artists, Fashion

Royal Doulton’s Edwardian ladies.

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Tulips.

With the turn of the Twentieth Century there came a real change in fashion and also saw the rise of Haute Couture from Paris, France. Notably it also saw the demise of the ‘S’ shape corset for a more graceful and elegant look with straighter lines and raised waistlines.
When Leslie Harradine first began sending his models to Burslem for approval we see not only a great talent but also an artist who is able to tap into popular movements; namely fashion. With Harradine’s involvement, the HN collection really came into its own and at last gained the popularity Charles Noke had hitherto been striving for, for his renaissance in Staffordshire figure production that he had first attempted in the late 19th Century with his Vellum figures. Harradine’s first figure was the elegant The Princess HN391 inspired by costumes by the great costumier Leon Bakst for contemporary ballets. She was followed by a steady stream of other similar ladies including Tulips, also by Harradine, but other ladies including The Necklace and The Bouquet both by George Lambert also reflect this style.

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The Gainsborough Hat.

There are earlier examples of this style, namely Tittensor’s Gainsborough Hat introduced in 1915 in 9 different colourways again reflecting not only fashionable styles but also popular fabrics that included many differently patterned fabrics being used together. There were a handful of figures which reflected this mix of fabrics, a favourite of mine is this version of Contentment by Harradine.

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Contentment.

Fashion has always played an important role in the HN collection, perhaps you arrange your displays accordingly? If so why not share some pictures with us on our Facebook page ‘Doulton Collectors Club’!