Queen Victoria
The year 2019 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria who was potted in many forms by the Staffordshire potters. It therefore seems entirely appropriate for us to start this year with a figure of the Queen as our Figure of the Month.
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. On 1 May 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India.
Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III. Both the Duke and the King died in 1820, and Victoria was raised under close supervision by her mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She inherited the throne at the age of 18, after her father’s three elder brothers had all died, leaving no surviving legitimate children. The United Kingdom was already an established constitutional monarchy, in which the sovereign held relatively little direct political power. Privately, Victoria attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments; publicly, she became a national icon who was identified with strict standards of personal morality.
Victoria married her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840. Their nine children married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together and earning her the sobriquet “the grandmother of Europe”. After Albert’s death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public appearances. As a result of her seclusion, republicanism temporarily gained strength, but in the latter half of her reign, her popularity recovered. Her Golden and Diamond Jubilees were times of public celebration.
Her reign of 63 years and seven months was longer than that of any of her predecessors and is known as the Victorian era. It was a period of great industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom and was marked by great expansion of the British Empire.
More Figures of the month
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.
A pair of camels
This is an interesting pair of Staffordshire camels, each about 6 1/4” tall, and dating to approximately 1860.
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