Harry Nixon, in charge of Doulton’s [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Royal Doulton Porcelain Figures

The line of Royal Doulton figures was introduced in 1913 under the supervision of the Company’s art director, Charles Noke. Early subjects drew their inspiration from many sources: pretty ladies, British street and country life, literature, history and the orient. Later years saw the addition of musicians, sports as important themes as well as the use of current fashion trends in clothing, hairstyles, etc.

Harry Nixon, in charge of Doulton’s figure painting department in 1913, is credited with instituting the line’s unique identifying number system, marking the first figurine, “Darling”, “HN1″, Elizabeth Fry “HN2″ and so forth. Each figure and color scheme is assigned a unique consecutive number; by 2000 Doulton was into the 3700 range of this system.

A number of artists have played influential roles in developing the figure line, including Leslie Harradine – who joined the firm as a freelance designer after WWI and stayed into the mid-1950′s and is responsible for the classics “Old Balloon Seller” and “Flower Seller’s Children” among hundreds of others, Peggy Davis – who joined the firm in the 1930′s and is well known for her child and pretty lady figures, Mary Nicoll (circa 1953 to 1974) is especially regarded for her marine figures such as “The Lobster Man”.

The line continued to evolve under the direction of Art Director Eric Griffiths (1972 to 1990) adding contemporary images as well as figures of great beauty and elegance.

In 1934, the first of over 200 [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Royal Doulton Character & Toby Jugs

Royal Doulton porcelain character and toby have been made since 1930′s when the firm’s art director, Charles J. Noke, produced a series of colorful character models based on English songs, literature and history. Character jugs model the character’s head (and sometimes shoulders), while toby jugs model the full body. The handle is most often designed featuring icons related to the character.

In 1934, the first of over 200 eventual character jugs, John Barleycorn, was produced. The next Doulton jugs were Old Charley, Sairy Gamp, Parson Brown and Dick Turpin and their success prompted the firm to add others each year. The character jugs were produced in different sizes: large 6″ to 7.5″, medium 5.5″, small 3.5″, miniatures 2.5″ and a few rare tiny examples that are 1.25 to 2 inches. In recent years the character subjects of Doulton jugs have expanded beyond England with special collections of sportsmen, celebrities and two-faced jug collections such as “Star-Crossed Lovers” and “The Antagonists”.

In 1939 toby jugs were added to the line as well, portraying many of the same characters from English life and history with accurate costumes and accessories. One of the most famous is Winston Churchill, which was issued in 1940 in three sizes. Churchill jugs were made until 1991.

Historically, Doulton products have been well marked making them easy for a collector to identify and date. A typical Doulton backstamp includes the potter’s name, copyright year, subject’s name, and a series of identification numbers.