Liberty & Matrimony
- willa
- 17 hours ago
- 4 min read
Every now and then I stumble upon a piece that truly stands out, and today I am showing you a pair of figures that I particularly love. They were made by the Bow Porcelain Factory in about 1760 and they are called "Liberty & Matrimony".
These figures were used in a very different way than we would expect; they weren't just decorations on a shelf or in a cabinet, the way your old auntie perhaps had a porcelain figure in her glass cabinet. No, these figures had a very practical function. They were used at the dinner table during the dessert.
In the 18th Century became fashionable for the nobility to adorn the dessert table with a beautiful display of flowers, figures, sometimes even whole landscapes including pyramids, fountains and farms. These displays were a sign of the host's wealth and sophistication, and everyone tried to outdo each other. Books were written about how to build the best display, and companies existed especially to come a build yours. The displays were often themed around some fashionable or important issue.
The figures in these displays were initially made of sugar, but as sugar melts in the heat of a table full of people and food, this was impractical. So as soon as porcelain became available in Europe, people started making them of porcelain, so they could be re-used; a much more sensible and economical solution.
The first British porcelain factories such as Chelsea, Bow and Derby started making lots of these figures, often themed around domestic, commercial or classical subjects. Because these figures were not just to show off the host's wealth, they were also a hint at the conversation to be had. Do the guests want to show off their good education by guessing which Greek or Roman myth was represented in the figures? Do the host and the guest need to discuss commercial matters? Or was the true purpose of the dinner invitation to marry off the host's daughter?
This is where Liberty and Matrimony come in. These two are not just a romantic couple playing with birds, they are a serious consideration of what makes a good marriage work.
A good marriage, you see, is something that both gives you lasting love and joy, but also requires true dedication and sometimes sacrifice. I know from experience how rewarding it is to get this right, so it is worth thinking about it.
The chap is called Liberty, and he is holding a few tiny chicks in his hand that he is offering to the lady, a bird's nest with eggs at his feet. What he is about to gain is the joy of "matrimony", which means a family to care for, and what he is to give up is his liberty to philander about and do as he pleases. He will now have chicks to care for, and this will change his life forever.
The young lady is called Matrimony, and she is ready to give her love and sweetness to a family of her own; look at her eyes, I think she'll be a wonderful, caring mother. But she'll have to give up her freedom in order to care for that family, so she is holding the cage that she'll be spending the next 20 years in while raising her much-loved children.
Given that these two were made in the 18th Century, it would probably have been thought that the woman ought to be caged by the man... well, it doesn't really work like that anymore, but I am sure that any good mother will tell you that you have to sacrifice a lot of freedoms in order to raise a family.
Look at their young, fresh faces, their sense of expectation of the life to come. They are dressed in such gloriously colourful clothes, painted with so much care, and surrounded by flowers. Life is good for these two.
These figures are in wonderful condition. They have some minor professional restoration, as most of these figures do, but these two are particularly beautiful and well-restored so they look and feel as if they were made yesterday. It is rare to find this pair together, and even rarer to find them in such fresh condition.
So if you have a very special something to say to someone, invite them for dinner and put these two on the table - see what happens! 💘
Where to find things
I have quite a few beautiful figures, and am about to launch some more soon. You can find all my decorative objects here in my shop, 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.
You can also read an article I wrote a few years ago about the 18th Century figures here.
Happy weekend everyone!
This week's treasures:
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