Macbeth. Mr. Macready
as Macbeth from the Tallis Shakespearean Gallery engraving.
Potted in 1852-53.
Ophelia: The standing
figure on titled base was not found as a Tallis engraving,
this figure modified in style from the "Perdita"
(Female character from a "Winters Tale").
Lady Macbeth:
Isabella Glyn played the role from The Tallis Shakespearean
Gallery engraving potted by Thomas Parr in 1852-3. There
are Staffordshire cobalt blue and pearlware decoration
figures when Mrs. Siddons played the part. She was the
sister of actor John Kemble, acting from an early age
she worked with William Siddons whom she married in 1773,
against her family's wishes.
Titania: The Queen
of the fairies from a Mid Summers-Night Dream. The figure
is untitled but shows her holding a wand and a posy of
flowers.
It's nice to see
figures from this factory are titled, as many theatricals
were not, some figures could be made up with an unknown
partner just to make a mantle pair. For more information
see P.D. Gordon Pugh for engravings from The Tallis Shakespearean
Gallery pages 60-64
Tallis photos shown from R. & D.Ginns archive.
The Potters:
Stoke-on-Trent,
Staffordshire, is made up of six district towns, Burslem,
Tunstall, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton & Longton, collectively
know as "The Potteries". The term "Staffordshire"
is widely accepted as no factory markings are found on
wares produced by many small cottage industries working
in "The Potteries" area. From old stories, a
book published in 1903 tells of the author, Burslem born
Charles Shaw 1832-1906, who as a small boy of about seven
started work in the north Staffordshire potteries. His
family forced into the workhouse for a few weeks whilst
his father found work. This is a typical story of small
children whose naive painting is a distinct trademark
of this period of pottery wares:
THOMAS PARR:
From the Stoke-on Trent factories archive directory:
Thomas Parr worked from 1852-70
John Parr worked from 1870-79
Kent & Parr from 1880-1894
The Parr family of potters worked in Wellington Street
from 1814-94 when the factory was then fully taken over
by William Kent.
If you allow yourself
a little time to acquaint yourself with studying the different
periods of potting, there are differences that you should
be able to distinguish from one time period to the other.
Early Thomas Parr base colours and titles are often in
puce, their moulding and crispness of colours are more
defined.
Cobalt under-glaze blue was not a colour range this factory
liked. The animal groups below show typical base colouring
used in the manufacture of early Thomas Parr figures.
For more information and an in depth discussion of Parr's
progression and the passing down of moulds from this dynasty
of potters read: P.D. Gordon Pugh, page 15, heading The
Parr & Kent Group of Potters.
Also Pat Halfpenny book "English Earthenware Figures"
1740-1840 has a good chapter " The Real Thing"
from page 276. She shows catalogue pages from William
Kent's catalogue price list 1926-53? Although states that
they could be 1890-1920 or as late as 1960.
Genuine animal
& figure groups by Thomas Parr: Circa 1852-1870.
