'Auld Lang Syne' figure group
Figure Group
ca. 1813 (made)
ca. 1813 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a Staffordshire flat-back figure, a ceramic decoration given the name 'flat-back' because it was meant as a mantelpiece ornament and therefore had a flat, undecorated side which faced the wall. Flat-backs were simple and cheap to produce, needing only three moulds for a back, a front and a base. They were produced in vast quantities in the Staffordshire villages of Stoke, Fenton, Longton, Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley and Shelton, during the 19th century.
The inspiration for this figure group is taken from Robert Burns's poem Auld Lang Syne. This was a traditional Scottish song, sung for many years before the birth of Burns (1759-1796), but Burns kept the name and changed both the words and the melody. He wrote five verses but the first verse and the chorus are best known, traditionally sung in Scotland and other countries around the world to celebrate the passing of the old year and the beginning of the new. Various examples of this figure group were produced, all featuring three characters; some have a bottle on the table, and some, like this, have the central figure holding a jug or tankard.
The inspiration for this figure group is taken from Robert Burns's poem Auld Lang Syne. This was a traditional Scottish song, sung for many years before the birth of Burns (1759-1796), but Burns kept the name and changed both the words and the melody. He wrote five verses but the first verse and the chorus are best known, traditionally sung in Scotland and other countries around the world to celebrate the passing of the old year and the beginning of the new. Various examples of this figure group were produced, all featuring three characters; some have a bottle on the table, and some, like this, have the central figure holding a jug or tankard.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | 'Auld Lang Syne' figure group (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Glazed earthenware |
| Brief description | Staffordshire flatback figure group, representing Robert Burns' poem Auld Lang Syne. Earthenware, ca.1813. Harry R. Beard Collection |
| Physical description | Staffordshire flat-back figure group representing three friends at a table, the central figure holding a cup aloft and a jug in his left hand. Each is dressed in a blue jacket. The man on the right wears pink trousers and is bare-headed; the man on the left wears orange trousers, and both he and the central figure wear pink night-caps. They are sitting in a cream alcove with orange drapes above. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'E. Maye..... Hanley 1813' (Inscribed on brown paper tape adhered to the front of the base) |
| Credit line | Harry R. Beard Collection, given by Isobel Beard |
| Object history | The inspiration for this figure group is taken from Robert Burns' poem Auld Lang Syne, which Burns adapted from a traditional song. There are five verses but the first verse and chorus are the ones known today: Should auld acquaintance be forgot And never brought to min'? Should auld acquaintance be forgot And days of auld lang syne? CHORUS For auld lang syne, my dear For auld lang syne We'll tak' a cup o'kindness yet For auld land syne. Robert Burns sent a copy of the original song to the British Museum with this comment: 'The following song, an old song, of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man's singing , is enough to recommend any air.' |
| Subject depicted | |
| Association | |
| Literary reference | Robert Burns 'Auld Lang Syne' |
| Summary | This is a Staffordshire flat-back figure, a ceramic decoration given the name 'flat-back' because it was meant as a mantelpiece ornament and therefore had a flat, undecorated side which faced the wall. Flat-backs were simple and cheap to produce, needing only three moulds for a back, a front and a base. They were produced in vast quantities in the Staffordshire villages of Stoke, Fenton, Longton, Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley and Shelton, during the 19th century. The inspiration for this figure group is taken from Robert Burns's poem Auld Lang Syne. This was a traditional Scottish song, sung for many years before the birth of Burns (1759-1796), but Burns kept the name and changed both the words and the melody. He wrote five verses but the first verse and the chorus are best known, traditionally sung in Scotland and other countries around the world to celebrate the passing of the old year and the beginning of the new. Various examples of this figure group were produced, all featuring three characters; some have a bottle on the table, and some, like this, have the central figure holding a jug or tankard. |
| Bibliographic reference | Victorian Staffordshire Figures 1835-1875 byb A & N. Harding, Book One, p.269, fig.972. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.903-1981 |
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| Record created | September 16, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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