Both Beautiful and Magnificent 'Spring' Antique Georgian Prattware Figurine

THE STORY - There she was photographed in an Auction Catalogue and the beauty of her simple naive form struck me deeply, especially that face. The figurine I believe depicts Spring with her Cornucopia of Plenty and once would I am sure have been part of a set of 4 each depicting a Season. She has good age to her, dating to circa 1790-1810 so it is unsurprising that in the many years that have passed three of her companions have been lost to time, although I have to say if they were all as beautiful as her it really is quite heartbreaking. She is English, possibly from a Staffordshire Pottery but what is certain is that she is lovely example of Prattware, which is earthenware pottery glazed with the wonderful earthy colours of blues, greens, mustard yellow and ochre. But although her face is simply formed the decoration of her dress with those ochre stripes with brown dots and little flowers on the back of the same colours is really quite finely painted and then we have that large Cornucopia standing by her side again finely painted with beautiful curved lines and with the abundance of flowers both finely moulded and painted falling out of its opening. And I love that bunch of flowers she clutches to her chest with the large blue flower at its centre. She stands with her feet and the spilling out of the flowers on a square base detailed with shreds of Clay. I really do find her quite magnificent, but I think it is her beautiful face that has penetrated my heart deepest, her features simple, painted in just one colour that of brown for her strong eyebrows and the round dots of her eyes, and then what I think makes her so special is her hair, painted again in the same brown, with a simple painted fringe resting just above her eyebrows, although she does have an ochre hairband and I don't know if you can really pick it up from the photos but the shape of her head is wonderful if is both small, but very deep, I just love her.

AGE - Circa 1790-1810

CONDITION - She is old and she does carry with her some light cracks, there is a 'star like' crack at the back at the bottom and also light cracks down her arms although this might have something to with the seam, but she is very stable. When I started to photograph her I became aware of a light blue colour at the back by her feet and I did wonder whether she has been restored, but on closer examination I now do not think so as there is absolutely no depth to it and it seems underneath the glaze for I now think it was possibly created in the firing process.

DIMENSIONS (Approx) - Height 7" / 18cm, Width 2&1/2 / 6.5cm, Depth 2&1/2" / 6.5cm

There is something about her as she stands all 7" of her that I find both quite beautiful and quite magnificent. Her fellows may have been lost to time but I am just so very grateful to have found her and to have her in my shop. And I have to say that face stays with me, I find it fascinating that in some ways our concept of beauty has changed very little in the two hundred odd years since she was made, but it is hard to imagine such a face of such simple beauty being produced today.