The New Marriage Act group
I would not normally put up a damaged figure as Figure of the Month but this example of “The New Marriage Act” really caught my eye in the O’Mahoney Collection sale by Sheppard’s Irish Auction House (24th March 2020). In New Marriage Act figure groups, the bride and groom stand before a parson, whilst a young clerk beseeches the heavens for approval of the union. These groups commemorate the passage of The New Marriage Act of 1823, legislation that reinforced marriage.
Prior to 1823, persnickety marriage law made marriage difficult, and also made it quite easy to make a mistake. If a couple failed to comply with all the rules, their marriage was not legal and either party could seek an annulment even many years later. Even if both parties were happy to end their marriage, an annulment had disastrous financial consequences for children who unexpectedly found themselves declared illegitimate. Society expected marriage to last for life, so the New Marriage Act 1823 no longer made it possible to void a marriage for want of a minor mistake in form or fact either before or during the ceremony.
The reason for my particular attraction to this figure is the fact that the wonderful early blue-tinged glaze is so abundant and visible and this is particularly so on the photograph of the plaque on the figure (left). This example is strikingly similar to that illustrated in Myrna Schkolne’s Staffordshire Figures 1780 to 1840 Volume 4, page 15, figure 139.29.
More Figures of the month
Queen Victoria
This is a rare Staffordshire figure of Queen Victoria, standing 8 3/4” tall and dating to approximately 1855. The Queen stands holding the staff of a flag in her left hand and a scroll in her right hand.
Victor Emmanuel II
This is a rare Staffordshire military figure of Victor Emmanuel II, standing 17” tall, dating to approximately 1855. It is titled in gold, raised capital letters, “KING OF SARDINIA”.
Dr Dulcamara and Adina
This is a rare pair of Staffordshire theatrical figures, standing 8 ½” tall and dating to approximately 1848. The male character represents Dr Dulcamara, as portrayed by Luigi Lablache, in Donizetti’s comedic melodrama L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love). The female actress, playing the role of Adina, is unidentified.
John Liston
This is an early Staffordshire figure of the actor John Liston, portraying the role of Van Dunder in the play ‘Twould Puzzle a Conjuror’ or ‘The Two Peters’, by John Poole.
Robert Raikes
This is a very rare Staffordshire bust of Robert Raikes, an Anglican layman and English philanthropist. The figure is titled in gilt script as “Founder of the Sunday School”, but it would be more accurate to say he was a pioneer, or promoter, of Sunday Schools.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
This is a rare Staffordshire figure of a woman seated on a couch, with her dog beside her. It is generally believed to represent Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and her dog Flush. This figure stands about 5 ¼” tall and dates to approximately 1846-1850.
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