Question:
This reminds me of Staffordshire figures but it is unmarked.
The top has a has a (pencil-eraser diameter ) hole in it ...maybe a single-stem vase or a fancy hat/hair pin holder?
The nature-loving lady has PANTS on and is is climbing a tree trunk...reaching for a bird or dove- but the bird's head is apparently broken off.
I think it's fairly old and maybe English because it's weirdly whimsical.
Any clues?
Answer:
May be a 'spill vase'.
Answer:
Are you sure that's a lady? Looks like a feller to me. Those kecks would be appropriate for early 1800s, so it's a young feller birdnesting. The solid base would worry me a bit, if it wasn't open at the top. That hole at the top is part of the potting process - it's very difficult to pot a solid figure with no air hole to allow for the expansion of the air inside during firing. Most have the hole at the base, where it can't be seen, but a hollow tree trunk is quite allowable. No crackle, which can be a good sign. Definitely looks Staffordshire. Much Staffordshire ware of this sort wasn't marked. Pieces known as fairings usually weren't. They were cheap pieces for sale at fairs, or as prizes to be won by throwing hoops, etc. Unfortunately, many types of fairing have been reproduced - Little Red Riding Hood especially, and Staffordshire Dogs. This one I've never seen, not that that means a great deal.... It looks like a real subject, though. Style of the face looks 1800-1840 period to me.
Answer:
Spill vase would be at least an inch in hole size - preferably two inches. You're not going to get many spills into a pencil size hole! Single stem vases wouldn't be in designs like this - and how are you going to wash it out? (I have this awkward side to me of looking at the practical aspects of things - and of looking at something that has gone into production and thinking what a *****-** they've made of it...) Spill vases - I can remember as a kid watching my mother lighting her fags with spills, from the coal fire.....
Answer:
Hi Phil...thanks so much for the insight.
Hmm... nice, full buns for a guy! Come to see he has a nice broad back as well. The pink and robin egg blue clothing, as well as the little gilded polka-dots on the sleeves, said 'feminine' to me.
Birdnesting? Tell me about that. A hobby? Where?
As far as the hole: See new view of the top. I held it up to strong light and peered into the hole: the porcelain is translucent on the bottom and at areas of the tree trunk walls. I would've expected it to be thick down there.
I know what your'e saying about the foot. Typically it would be indented. But this is so small. I think I see a smalll seam across the bottom as well.
As far as use, I'm stumped. It's way to tall (3-7/8") for a typical Victorian hat or hair pin I think. But ... last night I watched Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon that was set in late 1770's and those ladys wore some GIGANTIC hair and hats!
Answer:
Bumping this up for further input on it's general age and possible use ??
thanks!
Answer:
As to pink kecks and fancy gear, here's two fellers in suchlike. Birdnesting was a standard countryside occupation in the days before bird watching. Now known as egg collecting, and illegal for the most part. As to period - looks early Victorian -ish. And the only women that would have worn kecks would have been certain eccentric Ladies who went exploring foreign parts, and certain cyclists. Oh, and certain women working in the mining industry. These were an attraction for some Victorian gents who would go to the pithead in order to see legs. Legs encased in trousers, yes, but LEGS! And an occasional ankle! There is always the possibility of this being repro, of course. There's always the possibility of things being repro... But people doing repro copy stuff rather than make new designs on the whole. As to the hole, I still think it's just a breathing hole, made to look like the hole where the trunk of a tree has broken off.
Answer:
Fascinating!
Thanks for sharing all the info. I'll probably never come across anything this old (most of this area of the country was just being settled about then) but it sure is fun to learn about the history of such things.
Answer:
Thanks Phil. Appreciate your thorough comments. You'd be a great teacher
I looked up birdnesting and think it's spot-on explanation for this figure. I had NO idea of the sport. And a quirky gentleman in his rolled up blouse sleeves - I'll go along with all of that. Romantic and so so Victorian English.
But...I'm having trouble with the 'breathing hole' idea. I have seen SMALL breathing/vent holes and I would tend to agree if it was a thick, large piece, or complex shape.
Also, the fact that a seam exists, indicates it was made in a 2-part mold which, correct me if I'm wrong, would negate the need for venting holes.
Additionally, the thin-ness of the porcelain walls, and the open vase-like-interior leads me to think perhaps it is a simple posey vase (or maybe even a pen or paint brush holder?) It would definitely hold a days worth of water
...or the beloved victorian peacock-feather quill.
Originally Posted by PhilTheFluter As to the hole, I still think it's just a breathing hole, made to look like the hole where the trunk of a tree has broken off.