Hare coursing watch stand
At this time of year in the UK, if you are fortunate you can sometimes see male hares boxing each other in the fields. This particular figure depicts hare coursing which was until relatively recently a popular country pursuit.
Usually two greyhounds were released to chase a hare to the death. The hare was not only fast but bobbed and weaved, and so great skill was required in its pursuit by the greyhound.
This particular piece is a watch stand which would have been used to double as a clock on the parlour mantlepiece. It would have held the pocket watch of the man of the house after he returned home in the evening. It is a fine and rare example of a watch holder, obviously made for someone who enjoyed coursing.
More Figures of the month
Reverand Edward Meyrick Goulburn
This is a rare Staffordshire figure of the Reverand Edward Goulburn, standing approximately 11 1/2” tall and dating to about 1860.
Richard Cobden
This is a rare Staffordshire figure of Richard Cobden, the English politician, economist, and leader of the effort to abolish the Corn Laws in 1846.
Rare pair of camel figures
This is a rare, mirror image pair of Staffordshire camel figures. They are generally believed to represent Lady Hester Stanhope and her personal physician and companion Dr. Charles Lewis Meryon, though this attribution is not certain.
Pair of standing lions
This is a fine pair of Staffordshire lions standing on coloured bases. Each lion is approximately 10” tall and dates to about 1860. These figures may be found in Harding’s Book Two, page 259.
Rare figure of Victorian card playing
At first glance, this may appear to be an ordinary arbour figure. But upon closer inspection, one can see these three people are engaged in a game of cards.
George Washington and Zachary Taylor
This is a very rare pair of figures portraying George Washington and Zachary Taylor. They stand approximately 9” and 9.1″ tall, and date to approximately 1850.
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