A press-moulded earthenware figure of a robed woman holding a baby. She has two older children by her side, a boy holding a book, and a girl. The figure subject is well known as Charity. Clear pearlware glaze with a pronounced blue tinge. Decorated with under-glaze colouring oxides in the prattware high temperature palette (yellow, tan brown, dark greenish brown, and blue). The boy was moulded separately before joining to the main figure, he has a crudely cut air hole in his back. Probably Staffordshire.
The figure stands on a square hollow plinth base which has warped during firing so that the figure leans a little (I took some photos with, and some without, a small prop below the back corner to show how it displays in each circumstance).
A figure is shown in ‘English Earthenware Figures’, Halfpenny, 1995, p.317, which is a very close match of the model but is over-glaze enamelled instead. The author states “Staffordshire, c.1800-1815, Stoke-on-Trent Museum… subject can be found in the list of goods… by Wood & Caldwell… [but] it is not usually possible to identify the maker.”.
Pot ID: AP/1632
Dimensions: 218 mm high.
Net Weight (grams): 492
Date: c.1790-1810.
Condition Report:
There is a small chip on tip of boy’s hand. Two shallow chips on front right of plinth plus two very small flake chips on edge of back right corner. There are remnants of plaster below the back corner which was probably added to counter the warp (it is not restoration as it is simply added to undamaged surface and can easily be removed). There is a medium chip on the inside edge of base. A glazed-over shrinkage crack in her right arm which is a manufacturing fault.
