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Artists, Burslem, C. J. Noke, Eastern delights, Figure Articles, Figure inspiration

Come one, come all….another wonderful early Royal Doulton figure coming up this week – A Mandarin!

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Collectors will certainly be spoilt for choice this week at Adam Partridge Auctioneers.

As part of the fabulous collection they are putting under the hammer this week is this early and rare Charles Noke Model ‘A Mandarin’ introduced in 1918.

The auctioneers write:

CHARLES J NOKE FOR ROYAL DOULTON; ‘A Mandarin’, a very rare figure, HN791, 1st version, model 189, (26-36), ‘Royal Doulton’ backstamp, ‘A Mandarin’, ‘C.J. Noke. sc.’ and ‘Potted by Doulton & Co’ handwritten in black script, impressed marks, height 25cm.

This is believed to be the only known version of HN791 and is actually the figure illustrated in Eyles (D) & Irvine (L) & Baynton (V), Royal Doulton Figures, published Richard Dennis, 2004, page 91.

The model is as inspired by an Edmund Dulac illustration in his Picture Book for the French Red Cross from 1915. Several other important figures can be traced to this book including the legendary Princess Badoura and several of the One of the Forty (Thieves) models.

Dulac’s original illustration that inspired Noke.
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.