This is a beautiful pair of Chelsea-Derby porcelain candlestick figures of a bagpiper and a lady with lute, made in about 1775, which was the Rococo era. The pair is one of Derby's famous figure pairs. This particular pair is very finely made and in good condition with, as to be expected, some minor faults.
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 William Duysbury and banker John Heath started a new porcelain factory with Planché and this was to grow out to the largest factory of its time, buying up the bankrupted Chelsea and Bow factories, as well as the stock of several other workshops including that of James Giles. The combination of various traditions, porcelain making skills and sophisticated clients enabled Duesbury to create one of the best porcelain factories of the 18th and 19th Centuries, which after many ups and downs is still operative today. The period between 1770 and 1784 is often called the "Chelsea-Derby" period, as both factories worked alongside each other under the leadership of Duesbury.
This pair of figures is famous; both Chelsea and Derby made it in the 1760s shaped after a common source that has not been identified. This particular pair is probably from the years just after Derby bought Chelsea in 1770, as the porcelain is whiter and seems to contain more bone ash than the Derby figures from before 1770; the lady is even crazed, which is very rare for Derby figures and may mean that Derby was experimenting with the new influence coming from Chelsea, which used more bone ash in their porcelain body.
You see a lady with a lute and a lamb by her side, and a gentleman with bagpipes and a dog by his side. Both are beautifully dressed in Rococo outfits; the gentleman in particular has a stunning waist coat! Both figures have a rich bocage behind them and loose sconces for candles.
These figures were used to adorn the dinner table when dessert was served; groups of figures could serve to express something about the host, the guests, or to direct the conversation. One popular topic was of course the figures of classical mythology and Derby made representations of all the major Roman gods and goddesses.
The figures are unmarked.
CONDITION REPORT: The figures are in good condition with some light damage and repairs; the sconces are replacements but fit well and are good for use as candle sticks; there are some petals missing in the bocage and a few spikes from the dog's collar. There are some faint cracks, such as one of the dog's front legs; and the lady and both sconces are crazed. Crazing is extremely rare for Derby figures and it may mean that the factory was experimenting with using more bone ash, under the influence of their recent purchase of the Chelsea factory.
Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1800s, and this meant that china from that period can have some firing specks from flying particles. British makers were also known for their experimentation, and sometimes this resulted in technically imperfect results. Due to the shrinkage in the kiln, items can have small firing lines or develop crazing over time, which should not be seen as damage but as an imperfection of the maker's recipes, probably unknown at the time of making. Items have often been used for many years and can have normal signs of wear, and gilt can have signs of slight disintegration even if never handled. I will reflect any damage, repairs, obvious stress marks, crazing or heavy wear in the item description but some minor scratches, nicks, stains and gilt disintegration can be normal for vintage items and need to be taken into account.
There is widespread confusion on the internet about the difference between chips and nicks, or hairlines and cracks. I will reflect any damage as truthfully as I can, i.e. a nick is a tiny bit of damage smaller than 1mm and a chip is something you can easily see with the eye; a glazing line is a break in the glazing only; hairline is extremely tight and/or superficial and not picked up by the finger; and a crack is obvious both to the eye and the finger.
DIMENSIONS: Height ca 23cm (9").
Chelsea-Derby pair of candle stick figures, bagpiper and lady with lute, ca 1775
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