Royal Doulton figure Spook, estimated at $6000-8000 at Lion and Unicorn.
Given the series number HN58, the design was created by modeller Harry Tittensor and was first issued in 1916 in the midst of the First World War. Both this model and the Double Spook (HN88, issued in 1918) were available to order until 1936 and they were made in as many as eight different treatments, from monochrome flambé red to the lustrous Titanian glazes.
However, all are today considered great rarities.
This example, in a Sung flambé glaze, carries an estimate of $6000-8000 as part of Lion and Unicorn’s Rare Glass, Ceramics & Pottery Auction in Hollywood, Florida, on August 27.
The auction house’s catalogue description reads: “When Tittensor first modelled The Spook, one wonders if he realised he was about to create one of the most enduring - and frequently reissued and reinterpreted - pieces to ever come out of the Royal Doulton figure studio. Frequently imitated, this spook stands alone.”
A total of 124 Royal Doulton figure lots are included in the sale.
