A Staffordshire Figure of Victoria and Albert - circa 1851
Made by John and Rebecca Lloyd of Shelton.
Based on all the characteristics of this magical figure listed below,
then carefully compared to other Lloyd-Shelton figures,
their working date; 1834 - 1852,
yes I think it is safe to attribute to these Master Potters.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were the real celebrities
of the mid nineteenth century.
Born in 1819, Queen Victoria succeeded to the throne in 1837
and died in 1901 after a reign of almost 64 years, the longest in British history.
In 1840 she married her 1st cousin Prince Albert
and the Prince Consort died of typhoid fever in 1861.
Queen Victoria is associated with Britain's great age of industrial expansion,
economic progress and, especially empire. At her death, it was said,
Britain had a worldwide empire on which the sun never set.
Queen Victoria is also associated with the start of our style of figures,
our figures are Victorian Staffordshire Figures.
The Staffordshire Potters produced a flood of figures
of the Royal family, the British people loved and respected
their Royal Family and they bought many figures of them.
Shall we look at this figure?
The modelling is simply fantastic.
Look carefully at the beautiful rococo base.
Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
so the front of the base is decorated with a shamrock, rose and thistle.
The faces are superb, Victoria's neck is perfect,
I love the fabulous crown on her head, in profile it just looks great,
in fact the whole figure just looks great from any angle.
The pottery is clean and white,
the glaze is like fine glass,
there is the rich brilliance of the underglaze cobalt blue.
The enamel colours are so strong and luscious.
And of course it is decorated with lashings of Best Gold.
What a work of art.
In his excellent book
Staffordshire Portrait Figures
Of The Victorian Era
author P.D.Gordon Pugh observes:
"A piece of such outstanding quality that it may well
have been made for the Great Exhibition in 1851"
He then chose to put an example on the front cover
of his special boxed 2nd. edition published in 1981.
Our Potters made so many figures of Royalty,
everyone will have their favourites,
but............yes, this is the best.
Extremely rare,
this figure is in marvellous condition,
with no restoration.
Height 6.75 inches
