RERAMIC STUDIO 
2^3 
Group of mottled figures — Seventeenth century — Wo 
larger cat 6% in., smaller cat i% in. 
i. high, 
THE COLLECTOR 
STAFFORDSHIRE EARTHENWARE FIGURES 
Frank Falkner, Manchester, Eng. 
[The illustrations in this article are from photographs taken by Dr. Sidebotham 
from his own and Mr. Frank Falkner's collection.] 
ONE of the interesting features of "China and Pottery 
Collecting," is the wide area which may still be exposed 
by its devotees; from the early British Earthenware down to 
the exquisite present day products of the Minton, Derby, 
Worcester and Doulton china factories, there exist varied 
fields still unexhausted, and, although much has been written, 
there remain many paths where indecision reigns, affording 
channels of research for those who may be inclined to take up 
such absorbing studies. 
Professor Church in his handbook entitled "English 
Earthenware," which is a useful guide teeming with reliable 
information and so ably written and illustrated that no col- 
lector should be without it, gives us a few pages of valuable 
information upon the subject of Staffordshire Figures which 
are now-a-days becoming eagerly sought after by collectors 
Group of " Salt glaze" figures -Early eighteenth century— Cockf^ in. high ; 
Masqnerader i% in., Seated boy extracting thorn from 
foot 3 7 s in. ; Lady 3^ in. 
and are so peculiarly attractive when they represent historical 
events or happen to be portraits of important personages, 
such as the busts and statuettes of Shakespeare, Milton, Fred- 
erick the Great, Rodney, Washington, Napoleon, Nelson, 
Wellington, etc. 
Although the majority of these mantel-piece ornaments 
consists of the village groups and small animals with tree 
back-grounds, somewhat after the manner of the Dresden, 
Chelsea and Derby schools, many fine examples of statuettes, 
classic in their design and careful in their details of finish were 
manufactured by the English potters of bygone days, which 
figures, although only pottery, are almost worthy of being 
placed side by side with the aristocratic china figures of Ply- 
mouth, Bristol, Chelsea, and Derby, and are of sufficient dig- 
nity in their proportions to command appreciative attention. 
In that a large proportion of these were not always 
cherished in cabinets and were skillfully made with numerous 
projections, such as tree branches, arms, flags etc., it will be 
readily understood that too many of them, alas, have been ir- 
retrievably broken, and the collector has with difficulty to 
make up his mind to reject all badly damaged specimens, and, 
if wise, he will keep a wary eye open for carefully concealed 
repairs, and especially for modern reproductions. 
Now that the value of these statuettes has begun to in- 
crease, the art of the repairer is more often called into requisi- 
tion and very skillfull he has become, adding an arm here, a 
leg there, causing a tree to put out a new branch and even re- 
moving a head from one piece and attaching it to another. 
Group of tortoise-shell figures— Early eighteenth century — Cobbler i% in. high; actor 
6% in. ; Diana 7*4 in. ; Merry Andrew n% in. ; actor 5% in. 
Constant study, however, and careful examination with 
the point of a needle will enable these repairs to be detected, 
and pieces so treated should be rejected, as nothing tends to 
spoil a fine collection so much as a large proportion of dam- 
aged and repaired specimens. While on the subject of caution 
great care should be taken to avoid the spurious reproductions 
so frequently met with; and upon this point the opinion of an 
acknowledged expert is most desirable. 
The writer in forming his own collection, has fortunately 
had the valuable assistance of Mr. G. F. Cox of Whalley 
Range, Manchester — one of the ablest experts upon the sub- 
ject of Staffordshire pottery and china generally, in the North 
of England. 
While the china Figures and Groups may be described 
as being beautifully colored and delicately modelled, the 
Earthenware or Pottery specimens are more often quaint and 
curious and are redolent of the manners, costumes and legends 
of the village folk of the eighteenth and early nineteenth cen- 
turies. Sometimes they are a little pronounced in coloring 
but they are always interesting and in the cases of the so- 
called Astbury marbled specimens and the Whieldon tortoise- 
shell school a soft harmony of tinting is found both in the 
decoration and in the colored clays used, betokening an 
amount of refined artistic restraint and good taste, which is 
only equalled by the fascination of their archaic characteris- 
tics. 
The English earthenware figures were manufactured at 
the following potteries, viz: Fulham, Staffordshire, ^Leeds, 
Liverpool, Sunderland, Newcastle, Caughley, Swansea etc., 
