Ceramic
ca.1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Earthenware flatbacks and figurines for mantelpiece decoration were first produced in Staffordshire in the late 1830s. The earliest datable Staffordshire figures appear to be those of Queen Victoria, who was crowned in 1837. Images of royalty proved lucrative and during the 1840s Staffordshire pottery firms issued countless other royal figures. Although some appeared after Victoria's death in 1901, few were made after 1905. During their heyday however they were produced in vast numbers, usually modelled after prints. As well as the royal family they represented a wide variety of subjects, those of actors and actresses being especially popular.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Moulded earthenware, with painted decoration |
| Brief description | Figurine probably depicting Carlotta Grisi as Esmeralda in La Esmeralda which she first danced at Her Majesty's Theatre, 9 March 1944. Earthenware, Staffordshire, ca.1850. |
| Physical description | Esmeralda standing with crossed legs and bare feet. She wears a royal blue top and a light pink skirt with black dots. Her hair is black. A brown and black goat stands on its hindlegs to her right, with its forelegs on her skirt. Her right hand strokes the goat, while her left hand holds a tambourine above her head. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by John O'Donoghue |
| Subject depicted | |
| Literary reference | <i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i> |
| Summary | Earthenware flatbacks and figurines for mantelpiece decoration were first produced in Staffordshire in the late 1830s. The earliest datable Staffordshire figures appear to be those of Queen Victoria, who was crowned in 1837. Images of royalty proved lucrative and during the 1840s Staffordshire pottery firms issued countless other royal figures. Although some appeared after Victoria's death in 1901, few were made after 1905. During their heyday however they were produced in vast numbers, usually modelled after prints. As well as the royal family they represented a wide variety of subjects, those of actors and actresses being especially popular. |
| Bibliographic reference | Staffordshire Portrait Figures of the Victorian Era by P.D. Gordon Pugh, E433 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.44-2007 |
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| Record created | March 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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