Category Archives: Artists

Advertising, Art nouveau, Artists, John Hassall

Doulton’s John Hassall ware. 

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Perhaps most famous for his advertising posters for the likes of Beecham’s Pills and Coleman’s Mustard, however Doulton collectors are perhaps more familiar with John Hassall’s ‘naughty children’ and ‘The Twins’ designs that feature on Lambeth wares such as jardinières, vases and flasks.

  
Doulton ware from Burslem can also be found bearing his designs including the ‘Hooked’ kingsware flask featuring a humorous fisherman and his catch. 

  
Hassall was known as the poster king at one point because of his advertising designs mentioned above, but also posters advertising popular tourist destinations here in the UK.

  
Collaborations between Hassall and Cecil Aldin can also be found, and these two artists were friends with Dudley Hardy, again another famous illustrator from the early 20th Century. 

Art deco, Art nouveau, Artists, Eastern delights, Figure Articles, Figure inspiration

Edmund Dulac’s influence on Royal Doulton’s HN Collection.

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EDMUND DULAC 1882 – 1953
Dulac was born in Toulouse, France. His artistic ability showed itself early on and drawings exist from his early teens. He won the 1901 and 1903 Grand Prix for his paintings submitted to annual competitions whilst at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. A scholarship took him to Paris and the Academie Julien where he stayed for three weeks. That same year (1904) he left for London and the start of a meteoric career. 

A chance happening across Dulac’s Picture Book for the French Red Cross (1915) led to the following discoveries:

BLUEBEARD HN75 issued in 1917. E W Light.

  
  
MANDERIN HN84 issued in 1918 .Charles Noke.

  
  

ONE OF THE FORTY HN417 issued in 1920. Harry Tittensor.

  
  
Dulac’s illustration above and others by him were used in an early 20th Century version of the popular takes 1001 Arabian Nights.

Also inspired by Dulac illustrations but not shown here is PRINCESS BADOURA HN2081 issued in 1952 again by Harry Tittensor.

Art deco, Artists, Fashion, Figure Articles, Figure inspiration

Doulton ladies’ sleek 1930’s style! 

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  If the 1920’s were typified by ‘Putting on the ritz’ then the 1930’s were about sleek lines and glamour. 

Typically, Doulton once again responded to the fashion of the times with a handful of designs inspired straight out of early 1930’s fashion magazines. Indeed we know that Mrs Harradine was a fan of a magazine called Britannia & Eve, as her husband based his figure Pamela on a cover girl from 1930. 

Even the names chosen for this select band of ladies represent their time, with stylish names such as Clothilde, Aileen and Gloria. 

Once again Doulton figures can be truly said to have represented their times, just as they had in the 1920’s with perennial favourites such as Pierette and Butterfly in their party costumes and as they would at the end of the 1930’s with Hollywood inspired glamour including The Mirror and Nadine. 

Art deco, Artists, Desert, Harry Allen

Doulton’s famous desert scenes by Harry Allen. 

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The name Harry Allen will be familiar to many Doulton collectors because of his association with so many of Doulton’s most famous lines from Flambe, Sung, Titanian, figures and of course to the fantastic hand painted items by this great Doulton artist. 

  
The son of Robert Allen who himself led an art studio at Doulton in Burslem, Harry proved himself a versatile artist but he will be forever associated with his enchanting desert scene images carefully painted onto all manner of items from jugs to plates and everything in between!

  
Whilst not readily available today, with perseverance it is possible to build a collection of his romantic desert scene work. You will find that Harry signed his work either in full or as H. Allen or else as H. A. 

  
The desert scene items I have come across can be dated to c. 1905, with the yellow desert background being the most usual. 

  

Artists, Figure Articles, Figure inspiration

Royal Doulton’s figurine Blithe Morning exudes a blithe spirit all of her own!

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Leslie Harradine’s figurine Blithe Morning certainly has non of the ghostly spirit of the film Blithe Spirit, that invariably influenced her name! The film Blithe Spirit appeared in 1945 and was based on the play of the same name by Noel Coward. The play and film are centred around the socialite and novelist Charles Condomine, who invites the eccentric medium and clairvoyant, Madame Arcati played by Margaret Rutherford, to his house to conduct a séance, hoping to gather material for his next book. The deception backfires when he is haunted by the ghost of his annoying and temperamental first wife, Elvira, after the séance. Elvira makes continual attempts to disrupt Charles’s marriage to his second wife, Ruth, who cannot see or hear the ghost. The comedy is now a classic film.

  
Harradine’s very typical Doulton lady exudes her own kind of blithe spirit as strolls carefree into an oncoming breeze. Introduced in 1949 as HN 2021 in blue colourway and a year later as HN 2065 in a red colourway so favoured by Doulton collectors. She remained in production for some 20 plus years and today’s she is the type of figure that every Harradine collector wants! 

  
Pictured along with the two typical colourways is a further colourway from 1948, which is almost a combination of the two official versions but as is usual with colourways there is added detail particularly to her shawl. 

Art nouveau, Artists, Corolian ware

Royal Doulton’s Corolian Ware 1891-1902

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  This type of ware was an invention of John Slater and because of the period of production can be found with the Doulton coronet backstamp. No doubt the name is derived from corolla as the images on these pieces are typically floral. 

  The process involved multiple firings of blue and white transfer images which gave them depth and one can usually find one of Robert Allen’s pseudonym signatures on the body of vases: Kelsall and A. Wagg.

 

Animals, Art deco, Artists, Owls

Doulton’s nesting owls and owlets! 

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Animals have always been a popular giftware line for Doulton’s with many animal models even pre-dating the first introductions to their famous HN figure range in 1913.


A Titanian vase featuring an owl – always a popular subject!

One particular animal that always has collectors clamouring for it is the owl – produced in many variations from character examples, to realistic interpretations!


A very unusual version of Granny Owl.

Even before the early HN animals, owls featured in many Doulton Lambeth works of art! The great Leslie Harradine modelled this vase for reproduction; ‘night and day’ shown here with the owl central to the night panel!


There are further examples by the likes of Simmeon and Pope of garden statuary…


…and of course this charming Bibelot…


…to this tooth pick holder…


….and even this wonderful biscuit or tobacco jar in the form of an owl!

Returning to the Burselm studio, owls featured frequently in Doulton’s hand painted wares and in particular their Titanian range such as this example…


…and there is also a charming seriesware pattern featuring owls to collect – although examples are hard to find!


Doulton’s owl studies from the Burselm studio can be found in unusual glazes from Flambé to Sung, although once again these are hard to come by today!


Rare flambé Owl and Owlet.

Perhaps my favourite example is this character owl ‘Granny Owl’ HN 187, wrapped up in her shawl and who perhaps explains their popularity as it embodies that romantic feel Doulton owls have and why collectors fight to own these delightful studies!

Art deco, Artists, Figure Articles, Figure inspiration

A look back at Royal Doulton’s Bathers Collection. 

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Never have a group of figures so captured collectors’ imaginations and for so long, as Leslie Harradine’s wonderful creations from the 1920’s and 1930’s! 

  
The Bather HN 687 (1924-1943).

Moreover this statement applies more than any to his deco ladies – be they nude, bathers or otherwise lounging in what we today think of as an art deco style. 

  
Lido Lady HN 1220 (1927-1936).

In 2000 Royal Doulton asked Nada Pedley to re-model four of Harradine’s classic deco ladies – the Bather, the Swimmer, Sunshine Girl and Lido Lady. Each was issued in a Limited edition of 2000 pieces and came with a Certificate of Authenticity. 

  
Sunshine Girl HN 4245.

Whilst each of the original figures was available in a selection of colourways the ones chosen for the new series were deemed to be the most classic colourways that collectors today would most appreciate owning. 

  
The Swimmer HN 1270 (1928-by 1938).

Indeed unless one has exceedingly deep pockets, many of these original studies are beyond the reach of most collectors – myself included! 

  
The Swimmer HN 4246.

Nada’s faithful interpretation of these early figures means that they stand alongside the originals without standing out too much. Naturally the methods of decoration over the years changed; such as the number of firings figures originally received to achieve their depth of colouring,  also the techniques and styles of face painting and of course the number of parts that make up each model giving them the refinement we associate with early figures. 

  
Regardless of their relative modernity these new figures are true modern day collectibles in their own right – and when you consider the total scarcity of Sunshine Girl for example one can understand their appeal! 

Art deco, Artists, Figure Articles, Figure inspiration

Doulton figures – made to order! 

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You read it correctly! Once there was a time when you could order your favourite model in a colourway of your choice – to suit your interior colour scheme or else in the same palette as another figure you cherished.


Victorian Lady HN 1529 and two complimentary colourways of Sweet Anne and Miss Demure.

Such was the case with the Sweet Anne and Miss Demure pictured who are painted in the same style as Victorian Lady HN 1529, and both of which also carry that same HN number to their bases!  The bases of the two complimentary figurines. 

Both models as you can see were not only painted in the same year but also by the same artist so you can imagine my surprise when I recently came across the version of Miss Demure and more so when I realised the identical artist and date code! Interestingly the actual models were both produced in early 1937 too (one in January and the other February)! So they must have been part of the same order. Once more Doulton proves you never do know what to expect!

Advertising, Artists, Figure Articles

Royal Doulton’s Roadshow figurines.

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Between 1992 and 2007, 13 special figures were produced for collectors to purchase exclusively at Doulton’s Roadshow events. The choice for the majority of figures certainly came from those most popular among collectors and which had enjoyed many years of popularity among collectors, in particular the dancing ladies so lovingly created by Peggy Davies. 
Ninette HN 3417 and Lynne HN 3740.

As well as special backstamps in gold, these figures were issued with certificates of authenticity but otherwise they were issued in Doulton’s standard blue figure boxes of the time. 
 
The figures in the Roadshow series were:

Ninette HN 3417 (1992)

Victoria HN 3416 (1992)

Maria HN 3381 (1993)

Thinking of you HN 3490 (1993)

Pauline HN 3643 (1994)

Elaine HN 3741 (1995)

Jacqueline HN 3689 (1995)

Lynne HN 3740 (1995)

Stephanie HN 3759 (1996)

First Bloom HN 3913 (1997)

Lauren HN 3872 (1997)

Samantha HN 4043 (1998)

Holly HN 5065 (2007)

As you can see there were often multiple figures each year and there was almost a decade’s gap between the penultimate and the last figure. 

  
 The great thing for collectors about these figures is the added detail in the painting that is so evident in the majority of pieces from Peggy Davies’ classic pretty ladies to the last figure by Valerie Annand and they stand out so well from the crowd in displays! Their time limited production makes them much more unusual than their main HN collection counterparts and some were even limited edition pieces such as Holly who was produced in a tiny number of 100 pieces!