English Figurative Sculptures

Pair of Derby Figures depicting 'Welch Tailor and his Wife on Goats' circa 1800. These Derby figures were originally copied from the Meissen originals ( sculptor J J Kaendler). Th...

This is a sublimely made porcelain figure of the female "Ranelagh Dancer", made by Derby between 1759 and 1769, which was the Rococo era. The figure would originally have had a male ...

This is a charming Derby figure of a shepherdess with a garlanded lamb, made in or shortly after 1760. The figure is one half of a set called the "Garland...

This is a very charming pair of porcelain figures of a stag and a doe, probably cast by Derby in about 1760 and decorated by Bloor Derby in 1820. The figures are a simple white porce...

This is a very rare and impressive complete set of large figures called The Four Elements, made by the Bow Porcelain factory in about 1765. It consists of Ceres representing Earth, V...

This is a fabulous pair of figures of Liberty and Matrimony made by the Bow Porcelain factory between 1760 and 1764. These figures were a popular pair portraying marriage. The bow...

This is a stunning porcelain figure of Neptune with a dolphin standing on a sea shell, made by Derby around the year 1785. The figure is in beautiful original condition. We have one other Neptune figure from 1765, please see separate listing. The Derby Porcelain factory has its roots in the late 1740s, when Andrew Planché, a Walloon Huguenot refugee, started making simple porcelain toys shaped like animals in his back yard. In 1756 Staffordshire enameller...

Charming pair of very intricate figurines of barefoot young girls, one gathering a basket of fruit and the other flowers. Only one is marked (with the gold anchor.) The colors are ve...

This is a beautiful porcelain figure of a musician with a flageolet and tabor (fluit and drum), made by Derby around 1765, which was the Rococo era. The figure is one half of a pair ...

This is a rare and beautiful figure of Venus with two doves, made by the bow porcelain factory between 1756 and 1764. We see Venus standing holding her robe with one hand, a flower p...

This is a very rare and impressive large figure of Juno with an eagle, made by the Bow Porcelain factory in about 1765. This figure formed part of a series of the Four Elements, with...

This is a beautiful pair of Derby porcelain candlestick figures of a bagpiper and a lady with lute, made between 1759 and 1769, which was the Rococo era. The pair is one of Derby's f...

This is a wonderful pair of figures of Arlecchino and Columbina, made by the Bow Porcelain factory in about 1758. These figures formed part of a series of the Commedia dell'Arte, a very popular series of theatrical figures that served as decoration at the dinner table in the 18th Century. The Bow Porcelain Factory was one of the first potteries in Britain to make soft paste porcelain, and most probably the very first to use bone ash, which later got perfected by Josiah Spode to what is now the universally used "bone china". Bow was the main competitor of the Chelsea Porcelain Factory, but where Chelsea made very fine slipcast porcelain, Bow made a different soft paste porcelain that tended to be softer and could be pressed into moulds. Bow served a larger public generally at lower prices. The factory was only in operation between 1743 and 1774, after which the tradition got incorporated into some of the later famous potteries such as Worcester and Derby. These figures were used to adorn the dinner table when dessert was served; groups of figures served to express something about the host, the guests, or to direct the conversation. The Italian Commedia Dell'Arte, a comical form of masked theatre, was very popular in those days and Bow copied many figures of the German Meissen series that were brought out in the decades before. This pair dates from about 1758, which was at the height of Bow's ability to make beautiful figurines often copied from Chelsea or Meissen. The pair is modelled after a Meissen pair by Kaendler. The porcelain is translucent with a beautiful milky glaze - Bow was probably the first pottery using bone in its porcelain recipe. Arlecchino (Harlequin) is playing the bagpipes, dressed in an odd costume of mismatched chintz and playing cards and wearing a funny black trumpet...

From the Commedia dell’arte, shown seated on a tree stump and playing her favourite instrument. Probably after Kandler, who described the model as a Tyrolean maiden playing a lyre. ...

Small figure of a young woman wearing a puce-sprigged white skirt, lifted slightly with her left hand, pale pink jacket with typical Bow opaque blue collar and cuffs. We've called...

This is a wonderful little figure of a boy or putto made by the Bow Porcelain factory in about 1760. The Bow Porcelain Factory was one of the first potteries in Britain to make soft...

A pierced basket standing on a well-formed rococo base. Perhaps for potpourri, although the internal decoration suggests another use. We think probably oranges, chestnuts, etc. Pr...