294 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
and it is by no means easy to define the subtle differences 
between some of the varieties. For the most part they are 
designated "Staffordshire Figures," because Staffordshire has 
contributed by far the greatest number. 
The Vicar and Moses, by Ralph "Wood. 9^ in. high. 
The earlier Staffordshire figures are those exceedingly 
rare examples found in the "Slip" period, such as the owl 
and the cat, the quaint " mottled" figures made as a rule of 
two different colored clays, the Astbury Figures and the " Salt 
Glaze " Figures, all of which are wonderfully archaic in design, — 
also the early Whieldon Figures which are invariably beauti- 
fully glazed and marbled, then come the long series of colored 
and glazed Earthenware Figures with occasionally an inter- 
esting example which, though uncolored, is glazed. 
Specimens of the " Salt Glaze " variety are not often to 
be met with in the dealers' hands, but are sufficiently repres- 
ented in our public museums to be studied when desired. 
Both the British and the South Kensington Museums possess 
specimens, and interesting valuable examples are in such pri- 
vate collections as those of M. Solon, Mr. Willett (at present 
lent to the Alexandra Palace, London), Dr. Sidebotham of 
Cheshire, and others. 
The "Salt Glaze" Figures are usually small and nearly 
always devoid of coloring, the eyes, however, are often indi- 
cated by bead-like dots of brown or black enamel, and they 
were almost entirely modeled by hand. 
One of the chief specimens in the British Museum con- 
sists of two gentlemen and a lady in costume of by-gone days 
seated upon a quaint bench ; in the "Schreiber" Collection at 
South Kensington is a pair of " Salt Glaze " busts of Maria 
Theresa and her husband, Francis, Emperor of Germany, on 
square pedestals 7^ inches high; also a fine statuette of 
Shakespeare, 18 inches high ; a pair of statuettes of an actor 
and actress in Asiatic costume — these being colored are most 
rare; a pair of small grotesque figures in the Chinese taste 3 
inches high; a statuette of a youth 6 inches high, and a figure 
of a woman with bell-shaped dress, partly colored blue7"6 
inches high, and others. The Willett Collection contains a 
group, Sj{ inches high, of the Virgin and Child, and No. 241 
a group consisting of a soldier paying court to a lady under a 
tree, height 7 inches. M. Solon is the fortunate owner of a 
group of a gentleman and lady seated upon a high backed 
bench somewhat similar to the one in the British Museum. 
This example is beautifully illustrated in his "Art of the Old 
English Potter." Dr. Sidebotham's collection contains a lovely 
specimen of a figure of a boy seated on the ground extracting 
a thorn from his foot, a cock 8 inches high with bead eyes, 
and comb and feathers outlined in brown, also a quaint figure 
of a masquerader as well as a small statuette of a lady. It 
must, however, be conceded that the "Salt Glaze" figures are 
very rare indeed, those mentioned are of the finest class and 
such specimens are almost unobtainable ; so far they have not 
been attributed to any particular potter. 
Almost equally scarce are the specimens known as the 
Astbury marbled figures, they are subdued in coloring, har- 
monies of brown prevailing and frequently owe their charm to 
their having been made from a mixture of two different 
colored clays. Archaic in character and with eyes, as in case 
of the " Salt-glaze " figures, often so treated in the decoration 
as to make them resemble beads, the faces otherwise are gen- 
erally devoid of coloring, usually small in size, their glaze is 
of a fascinating soft, smooth, velvety feel; they are most 
difficult to discover and are highly prized by collectors. South 
Diana, by Ralph Wood, 8% in. high. 
Kensington possesses two interesting figures of soldiers in this 
school; also in this decoration it possesses the figure of the 
boy modeled in two different colored clays, brown and yellow, 
seated on the ground, extracting a thorn from his foot. In 
the Liverpool Museum is a fine specimen of a marbled figure 
of a sportsman 9 inches high with his gun resting upon the 
ground. Mr. Solon's figure of a sportsman 13^ inches high 
is a fine example. Dr. Sidebotham's collection contains 
several of these figures, one being a cobbler, beautifully colored 
and glazed and made from two different clays; another is an 
