Love letter
A love letter, a charming gentleman, a little lamb and an adorable dog... what's not to love?
The Derby factory tapped into an 18thC fashion for decorating the dinner table with romantic figures, both to show the hosts' sophistication and to inspire elevated conversation. Derby created hundreds of known figures with all kinds of themes, many of them inspired by the figures made a few decades earlier at the German Meissen factory. In fact, these figures were at the root of the success of the great English porcelain factory.
It all started in the late 1740s, when André Planché, a Walloon Huguenot refugee, began making simple porcelain toys shaped like animals. It is thought that Planché had picked up the art of porcelain making, still unknown in England, in France. Local entrepeneur William Duysbury took an interest in his skills and worked with him to improve the quality of his wonderfully shaped items. Together they laid the foundations of what would become a very refined tradition of figure making at Derby - Planché had an exceptional talent that Duysbury spotted. In 1769 Duysbury bought up the bankrupted Chelsea factory, incorporating their reputation for high quality figures and tableware; this combination of traditions, porcelain making skills, sophisticated clients and available work people created one of the best porcelain factories of the 18th and 19th Centuries, which, after many ups and downs, is still operative today.
Today I can offer the nicest pair of Derby figures I have ever had in my hands. It is a humble pair of the "Garland Shepherds", one of the most popular pairs, made in about 1765. This particular pair is very finely made and in excellent condition. I have had several pairs of these over the years, but this is by far the nicest, not only because of its excellent condition and the light and fine quality of the porcelain, but also because of the tender expression of their faces and the animals; the painter of this pair must have had a particularly good day.
It is not known what the origin of the Garland Shepherds is, but it is assumed that they might have been modelled after a French engraving after Boucher. The figures have fine clothes painted in fresh colours and are stood on simple base without any scrolling. These figures are clearly inspired by the Romantic movement; if these were true shepherds, imagine them walking over the moors with their silk shoes!
This pair consists of a female shepherdess with a lamb standing up to her, while she places a flower garland around its neck. The male shepherd stands towards her with a letter in his hand; we cannot read exactly what it says but she seems to be carefully listening to his words, her face quietly contemplating the words, with the lamb looking up to her lovingly. The dog is at the male shepherd's feet, looking up as if he wants to be part of the action.
The figures are unmarked but they have three patch marks on the underside, suggesting a date of about 1765. In the Derby catalogue it has the number E23, and is described on page 101 of "Derby Porcelain Figures 1750-1848" by Peter Bradshaw.
Did you know I have many other beautiful figures as well? You can find them all in my shop....
Where to find things
You can find all my figures and other decorative pieces here, and you can find all my available stock here. If you always want to see the latest additions, follow me on Instagram... I post pictures and a story several times a week.
Happy weekend everyone, and go on, send someone a love letter! ♥️
This week's new treasures:
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