Images of sports including cricket, cycling, shooting, running, football, long jump, rugby, soccer, horse racing and golf can be found decorating Lambethware. These items remain as popular today as they did during the time they were produced from the 1880’s to the outbreak of World War I.
Originally designed by John Broad, sporting relief items can be found with silver mounts, befitting their status as trophies and commemoratives and enabling personalised inscriptions to be given to the silver mounts.
The most popular remain the golfing and cricket subjects and items of Doultonwarefeaturing these sporting themes regularly crop up at specialist sporting auctions.
This most unusual figure is making an outing this coming Tuesday at Bonhams in London.
Although colourways are recorded as HN 6, 310 and 357 this particular version is a colourway. Impressed ‘79’ to the base signifying the model number and carrying an impressed date for April 1924, this child is nearly 100 and not looking bad for that!
Modelled by the great Charles Noke at the introduction of his now world famous HN collection in 1913, so few examples of him have turned up in the succeeding century.
This rare double sided Vellum figure by Doulton’s Charles Noke is part of a choice selection of Doulton wares ex being offered @Bonhams on 11 August 2020.
Lot 116 is believed to have been part of the Doulton exhibit at the Chicago Exhibition of 1893, at which much acclaim was heaped on the company.
This unusual variation sees Mephistopheles decorated in a cobalt costume with raised gold dragons, no doubt a design from the Robert Allen studio.
Around the turn of the twentieth century Doulton and then Royal Doulton had a strong association with the Art Union of London, the latter operated much like a club subscription today whereby subscribers were offered exclusive access to works by leading artists and companies.
Such is the case with this outstanding Mark V. Marshall vase that is coming up at Bonhams 11.08.20 (lot108). Impressed with the all important MVM signature, it also carries assistant marks for Florrie Jones, together with the Royal Doulton stamp as well as ‘Art Union of London’ impressed into the base.
Standing an impressive 42cm, it really is an impressive piece with the MVM dragon design in relief around the top and a typical mottled blue Doulton Lambeth glaze to the rest of the body of the vase.
Time on your hands? Well what better way to pass some time than about the many prototypes in the Wiener collection on the WMODA website in Louise’s Highlights article The Art of Royal Doulton Figurines. Visit https://www.wmoda.com/the-art-of-royal-doulton-figurines/
This weekend would have been the launch of our exhibition and of course the Doulton, Beswick & Moorcroft fair @worldofwedgwood
Despite us postponing the event here is a glimpse into the story behind one of the star lots of the exhibition – this prototype figure based on a costume design by Leon Bakst! His designs influenced not only figures themselves but also decorating styles with many early 20s figures featuring his style of sharply contrasting fabric designs.
This prototype lady from 1938 was subsequently remodelled as you can see from this b&w image. Aside from the elaborate modelling on this lady, perhaps her rather voluptuous figure was deemed inappropriate for the period and hence why she wasn’t produced!
Collectors will not be surprised to see the Beggars Opera series well represented as part of the Stage and Screen section of the exhibit! Here is Captain Macheath together with an advert for its revival! Harradine based all the figures I. This the first set of #RoyalDoulton figures faithfully on the original costume designs by Claude Lovat Fraser!
To see this and many other examples of inspiration behind #RoyalDoulton characters come along Sunday 5th April for our fair and launch of our #Reflections exhibition @worldofwedgwood
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