Tag Archives: Doulton rare

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Something magical this way comes…. A 1918 Royal Doulton china box with wizard final in Titanian.

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Of the handful of china boxes produced by Doulton in the first decades of the 20c, few can be said to be as rare as this example. Featuring a wizard as the box’s finial and with sterling silver mounts, it is the epitome of frivolity from the deco period. 

The box can be traced through the model book and is model 217 and it caries an impressed date of 1918. This model, like a handful from the early HN range was produced on a Titanian body, to enhance the colour of its eventual decoration. 

The auction will take place at 2pm on Wednesday 10thSeptember at Adam Partridge’s Macclesfield saleroom, here is a link to the website

https://auctions.adampartridge.co.uk/auction/search/?au=177

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A trio of thieves by Royal Doulton!

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This wonderful trio of characters from the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, which was adapted into the operetta achy Chin Chow and which was first performed at His Majesty’s Theatre, London in 1916 and proved a huge success running for more than 2000 performances.

With over thirteen different models by Harry Tittensor, all quite different in size, this series offers something for every collector – rarity, unique colourways and a handful of prototypes that never entered production. Those with HN numbers began appearing from 1920 onwards but their limited production had ceased by 1936, by which time these early models were simply made to order.

The three wonderful examples illustrated above of models from the series in unusual colourways are coming up at Lion and Unicorn Auctions 24 August 2025! 

Inspired by the colourful illustrations of Edmund Dulac. 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. Dulac’s Picture Book for the French Red Cross (1915) contains several illustration that inspired Royal Doulton figures, including several models for this series. 

Dulac’s illustration of the Forty Thieves.
Series ware, Seriesware

Royal Doulton’s seriesware design “Into the Land of Dreams“.

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Of the many seriesware designs produced from the late 19th and well into the 20th centuries, Into the Land of Dreams certainly counts as being one of the rarest for collectors to build a collection.

Toilet set recently sold at Sworders in the UK.

Produced between 1919 and withdrawn by 1932 few pieces have surfaced over the years and (if one can use the term) typically, it is wash sets that do turn up.

In Louise’s Volume 3 of Royal Doulton Series Ware, she lists 6 scenes for us to watch out for. Items found have been marked with either D4114 or D4484.

Toothbrush holder featuring scenes 5&6 as listed in RD Series Ware Vol.3.

The title for the design is taken from a poem by Stoddard King, which was popularised as a song during WWI.

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Royal Doulton’s legendary Sung Glaze

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Sung by Royal Doulton

@LionAndUnicorn

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Bid live 26 January

Charles Noke continued to experiment with glazes long after the departure of Cuthbert Bailey with whom he had perfected the Flambé glaze in the early 1900’s. And so in 1920 Sung was introduced, whereby painted decoration, colour and gilt are fused with the a flambé glaze.

I am sure you will agree that from this publicity photograph the pieces are magnificent. However, it is in the flesh that these pieces must be enjoyed to full effect as in this slide. Vases, large and small were decorated with exotic birds, pixies in woodlands, fish in seascapes along with many other subjects.

These pieces were painted principally by Harry Nixon, Arthur Eaton and Fred Moore. Sung glazes can be found on Buddhas, as seen here in this advert from the 1920’s, a handful of suitable early figures from the HN range such as A Spook, as well as animals, in particular elephants, a favourite of Charles Noke.

All lots coming up @LionAndUnicorn

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Bid live 26 January
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Royal Doulton and the Art Union of London @Bonhams

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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.

Art deco, Artists, Burslem, Colourways, Doulton, Doulton Collectors club, Factory, Figure Articles, Figure inspiration, Leslie Harradine, Prototype, Reflections

An unusual colourway of Puff and Powder

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Here are some pictures of an unusual Puff and Powder I once came across from Seaway China. She is decorated in the Bakst style like several of Harradine’s early figures of the 1920’s. Leon Bakst’s designs for the Ballet Russe were distinctive because of the use of contrasting fabrics placed together; something you can clearly see from this figure. Interestingly the piece is taken from a Raphael Tuck picture by Stanislaus Longley, an artist whose work Harradine regularly used as inspiration for figures but who is only credited with inspiring a handful of figures from the mid to late 1930’s rather than the 1920’s.
Here are the pictures to enjoy!

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Artists, Burslem, Child figures, Colourways, Displays, Doulton, Figure Articles, Figure inspiration, History, Leslie Harradine, Nursery, Nurseryware, Peggy Davies, Prototype, Reflections

Doulton’s Nursery Rhyme figures

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A page from a Doulton leaflet advertising their new Nursery Rhymes series in 1949

Some of Doulton’s earliest introductions to the HN range are inspired by lines from nursery rhymes. Consider Tittensor’s The Land of Nod HN56 or The Little Land HN63 also by Tittensor. In addition we have the very distinctive child models supplied to Doulton by Perugini in 1916, including Upon her Cheeks she Wept HN59, named after a line from Herrick’s “Upon Electra’s Tears” from the 17th Century.
Some of Doulton’s most popular nursery rhyme figures were created by Leslie Harradine and Peggy Davies. They are of course exquisitely modelled, as we would expect and are testament to the skill of all the Doulton artists involved in their production.

Here are some extracts from the same Doulton leaflet from 1949 advertising this new range of figures.

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Leslie Harradine’s Once upon a time HN 2047 (above and below)

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Peggy Davies’ Curly Locks HN2049 (above and below)

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One final figure we can now add to this collection of Nursery Rhymes figures is this charming prototype for Miss Muffet, that no doubt did not go into production due to the success of Harradine’s earlier Miss Muffet HN1936 and HN1937.

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The idea of Nursey Rhyme inspired figures has continued into recent times with a new collection by Adrian Hughes from the 1980’s.

A collection of these Nursery Rhymes figures makes an eye catching display and evokes all those pleasant memories of childhood as we recollect those charming lines from our favourite nursery rhymes.