Author: Myrna Schkolne

Published: 2022

Pages: 143 pages

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Ralph Wood (1748-1795) was the first large-scale manufacture of English earthenware figures, and his name resounds in the annals of the Staffordshire Potteries. His figures were prototypes that others emulated and modified for decades after his death. In developing a large range of models, this creative genius laid the foundation of an industry that thrived into the twentieth century.

Information collected together by the author is divided into the following sections:

Part A. An overview of Wood’s life and work
Part B. The author’s record of all models with Ralph Wood’s impressed numbers and/or marks. This includes the author’s list of all the numbered models, an extensive update of Falkner’s famous list of more than a century ago
Part C. Models without marks or numbers that are in the same or a similar style as the models in Part B. Some are look-alikes of those marked/numbered models, while others are new to these pages
Part D. Models without marks or numbers that are decorated in a very different manner but have strong Wood features. Most – but not all – are of the same form as models already recorded in Parts B and C
Part E. “Mystery” figures that Wood may or may not have made

The author gratefully acknowledges Wynn Hamilton-Foyn’s extensive research on Wood’s life and his generosity in sharing his invaluable research papers, which can be accessed at http://www.
earlystaffordshirefigures.com/14b-ralph-wood-research.html.