"In their view, we Londoners know little about God, and nothing
about pottery".
Royal Doulton's rise from London makers of domestic stonewares
to an internationally-recognised Staffordshire Potteries brand,
could scarcely have been predicted in 1877 when the Lambeth concern
arrived in Burslem and Henry Doulton made his often-quoted
remark.
That it happened owes much to the birth of its two most enduring
lines - the character figure and the character jug - and the
impetus they gave to these great traditions of Staffordshire
pottery.
The key figure in the story of Doulton's 'Burslem' studio is
Charles Noke. He had spent 15 years at the Royal Worcester factory
before he became chief modeller at Doulton in 1889 where he
remained the dominant creative force for half a century.
Until his death in 1941 (one of his last models was a character
jug of Winston Churchill) he oversaw many of the factory's most
popular 20th century lines including the rich brown
glazed Kingsware, the practical and decorative Series Ware and
the range of loving cups and jugs modelled with scenes from British
literature and history.
Noke showed the first Doulton figures (the so-called Vellum
collection) at the Chicago Exhibition in 1893 and 20 years later
was responsible for launching a designated range of figure models -
known as the HN (Harry Nixon) collection - while the first
character jugs, John Barleycorn, Old
Charley and the
double-faced Mephistopheles, arrived in 1934.
Although made across a century in a bewildering variety of
subjects, styles and colours, Doulton figures and 'tobys' are
instantly recognised and widely collected around the
English-speaking world.
Figures
Figures may represent only one small part of Royal Doulton's
output but the HN series range, which began in 1913 with 20 figures
(HN1 was the Charles Vyse figure of a small boy in a nightshirt
that Queen Mary christened Darling),now numbers in the
thousands. New figures are still being designed today.
The inspiration for the collection has been extraordinarily
diverse - child studies, fashionable ladies, occupations,
nationalities, historical figures, literature et al - and, across a
century of production, has embraced the full range of predominant
decorative styles.
Some of the early modellers were well known sculptors in their
own right - including Pheobe Stabler and Charles Vyse - while other
names such as Arthur 'Leslie' Harradine and Margaret May 'Peggy'
Davies are simply synonymous with Royal Doulton.
As a general rule, the most desirable figures come from the
first half of the 20th century. Exact production figures
are not available but it has been said that even a popular pre-War
figure would have been made in much smaller quantities than a
modern edition - even a modern limited edition. Some of the less
popular pre-War models were withdrawn from production in the mid
1930s, others in 1938, while the outbreak of the Second World War
and the restrictions that it brought caused the deletion from the
range of the majority of the existing figures.
Today, some figures are extremely hard to find in any form while
others, such as Noke's classic model The Jester, were
produced in unusual colourways (the term used to describe the
different combinations of colours used to decorate a figure) or
were available with special glazes.
Above: 'The Jester' HN 55 designed by Charles Noke for Royal
Doulton - sold at Bonhams in March 2007 for £2000.
However, while there are collectors who, for example, focus only
on Art Deco (and sometimes risqué) bathing beauties designed by
Leslie Harradine in the 1920s and '30s, it does not necessarily
follow in a collecting hierarchy based on rarity that the older the
figure the more desirable it will be.
Such was the success of the aforementioned
Darling that it is still in production today (only
the very early issues command substantial sums) while other
classics such as Top O' the Hill or The
Balloon Seller proved equally enduring and aren't too
difficult to find. Often it is the most popular Doulton designs,
those that remained in production for many years, which can be
bought most cheaply.
Conversely, the more recent designs can become rare when the
edition size does not meet collector demand. These include
commercial failures, trial colourways, prototypes, figures with
subtle modelling variations or those produced in small
'made-to-be-collected' editions. In determining the rarity from the
run-of-the-mill, the collecting literature or online resources are
essential starting points.
Character Jugs
It took Charles Noke almost ten years to be satisfied with the
standard of design and production, but in 1934 the first Doulton
character jug was launched. A novel spin on the traditional
18th and 19th century toby jug, only the head
and shoulders rather than the full body length provided the
'canvas', while the handle was modelled to relate directly to the
subject. Such jugs were made in up to three sizes - miniature,
small and large - and across eight decades of production have
embraced subjects as diverse as Henry VIII and Garfield the Cat.
They are still made today.
Above: Royal Doulton 'Clark Gable character' jug - £3000 at
Plymouth Auction Rooms. In 1984 the Clark Gable character jug was
withdrawn following contractual difficulties with the actor's
estate.
Rarities have occurred throughout the history of Doulton jugs
due to colour and modelling variations and limited production
periods.
Some were expensive mistakes (in 1984 the Clark
Gable character jug was withdrawn following contractual
difficulties with the actor's estate). Some were the result of poor
sales or austerity (in 1947 the chirpy cockney known to collectors
as Pearly Boy was remodelled to reduce production
costs in the post-War climate). Some were simply pre-production
models and prototypes while others were made in limited numbers to
excite the collecting market. Occasionally it is only the size of
the jug that is unusual or indeed the backstamp.
Two of the most expensive jugs ever sold at auction were
produced in editions of only three: the model of Toby Gillette, the
boy whose face was modelled in clay for an episode
of Jim'll Fix It, and that of the Staffordshire
football legend Sir Stanley Matthews wearing Stoke (rather than
England) colours.
Although surprisingly few collectors buy both figures and
character jugs, these two markets behave in much the same way.
All Royal Doulton lines offer purchasing opportunities right
across the price spectrum from £5 to £15,000. The great majority of
character jugs (regardless of size) and HN series figures were mass
produced and are worth under £100 - and most of them less than £30
each when sold without reserve at auction.
Much the same can be said for related lines such as the limited
edition, relief-moulded loving cups and jugs, as well as the many
different printed designs of the Series wares made using the 'print
and tint' technique where prices begin at just £10 (a key reference
here is the five small volumes on the subject by Louise
Irvine).
For casual collectors who buy Doulton simply on the strength of
subject matter or personal preferences, this is a buyer's market in
need of new entry-level collectors. Online trading, and eBay in
particular, has proved well-suited to Royal Doulton but it has
brought a glut of examples to light - too many for even the large
number of collectors in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New
Zealand and South Africa to absorb.
Above: a rare 'Maori' character jug from 1939 sold for
£11,500 at Bonhams in March 2008. It is believed that only around
six examples were produced, immediately prior to the outbreak of
the Second World War.
But rarities, those that plug holes in the collections of the
top tier of Doulton collectors, are a different matter. Here high
three- and four-figure prices are the norm with a clutch of
hard-to-find early figures capable of selling at over £5000.
Prices were higher still in the 1980s and 1990s but the absence
of a handful of major collectors, and an unusually healthy supply
(partly occasioned by the controversial sale of much of the Royal
Doulton archives), have seen levels fall somewhat.
In pursuit of the rarest Doulton productions, damage can often
prove little deterrent. In keeping with many areas of the
collectables ceramics market, buyers can insist on perfect
condition for relatively common models but breaks and restoration
are tolerated if no perfect version is available.
Another feature of the market in recent years has been the added
interest in the experimental glazes that characterised much of the
factory's more avant-garde, turn-of-the-century wares. These
include the so-called Vellum finish seen to the earliest figures
made before the advent of the HN series but also glazes in
imitation of Chinese wares such as Titanian, Sung, Jade, Flambé and
a straightforward lustre. Typically these will command a
premium.
Prices for some of the scarcest character jugs have undoubtedly
softened since the 1980s. A fabled rarity such as The Hatless
Drake (it has the words Drake he was a Devon
man printed in relief across the subject's shoulders)
might have cost £3000 three decades ago. Today something around
half that would be expected at auction. The Maori jug (one of only
half a dozen 'pilots' made in 1939) sold for £19,000 at Phillips in
1998 but took £11,500 at Bonhams in 2008.
However, Doulton tobys continue to interest a substantial
collecting base and a clutch of dealers such as UK International
Ceramics of Woodbridge, Suffolk and the Florida-based traders
Pascoe & Co and Aaron Rimpley who are active participants in
major sales.
Some of the most valuable jugs on the market in recent times
have been those made relatively recently in small editions or as
factory prototypes. The response to these can be unpredictable
(subject matter counts and some jugs are deemed more successful
than others) but when Bonhams sold a large group of factory trial
pieces from the Doulton archive in March 2008, some impressive sums
(£1400-£7000) were achieved, partly thanks to some strong bidding
from the Toby Jug Museum in Evanston, Illinois.
There is less enthusiasm for jugs made in 'limited editions' of
1000 or more. Generally speaking, the larger the edition, the
cheaper the jug.
A Century of Royal Doulton Character and Toby Jugs by
Stephen M. Mullins, David C. Fastenau, Louise Irvine. ISBN-10:
0764329731.
The Charlton Standard Catalogue of Royal Doulton Beswick
Jugs by Louise Irvine, ISBN 088968166X.
Royal Doulton Figures: Produced at Burlem, Staffordshire
1892-1994 by Jean Dale and Louise Irvine, ISBN 0903685353
Royal Doulton Series Ware by Louise Irvine, ISBN
0317550373.
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