Kneeling woman: C.984-1928

Titles

Kneeling woman

Maker(s)

Production: Unidentified factory

Entities

• Figure
• Staffordshire figure (early)

Categories

• Earthenware
• Lead-glazed earthenware

Description

Earthenware figure, moulded, lead glazed and painted with red-brown, green, grey and yellow enamels.

Earthenware figure of a woman kneeling, with her head resting on a pillow atop a small plinth. Her arms clasp the pillar and her head is turned to the front; her eyes are closed and she is bare foot. She wears a red-brown dress, edged with yellow around the neck. Her elaborately styled hair is held in place by a band of yellow, raising to green at the front (possibly a crown??). The base is green, rectangular and raised with ridged sides. The figure is moulded and painted in the round. The underside of the base is recessed and glazed, with a small central vent hole.

Notes

History note: Bought at Graham’s in Brompton Road on 12 February 1912 for £1.5s (one pound five shillings) by Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, Trinity College, Cambridge.

Legal notes

Dr J. W. L. Glaisher Bequest, 1928

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr

Dating

19th Century, Early
Circa 1810 - 1835

Note

Pearlware figures decorated with enamels were in production by 1780. They were generally made at smaller potteries and are rarely marked. A cheaper alternative to porcelain figures, they drew on a variety of 3-D sources, including sculpture and porcelain figures. Classical, biblical, mythological and literary subjects were popular, as were animals and representations of rural life, seasons and trades. From the early 19th Century, scenes from everyday life and topical events were also common. These early figures are moulded, perhaps with moulded or modelled parts added, the bases often formed separately. After around 1810-1820, bocage (stylised foliage) is common and figures are often more vibrantly coloured. By c.1835, these early methods had largely given way to three-part press-moulding, which enabled cheaper, mass production of figures for a growing market.