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
Boys playing cricket
This is a pair of Staffordshire figures of unidentified boys playing cricket, standing 6 ½” and 6 ¾” tall, dating to around 1850.
Tom King and Dick Turpin
This is a fine pair of Staffordshire figures of Tom King and Dick Turpin, probably originating from a theatrical production. Note the four separately moulded legs on each horse.
Artabanes
This is a theatrical figure representing an actor in the role of Artabanes, from the opera Artaxerxes. The figure stands 11 3/4” tall, dates to approximately 1830-1840, and is very rare. There is a dagger in his right hand, part of the blade being hidden beneath his sash. The interior and the edging of his coat are fully lined with ermine.
Napoleon III with Prince Albert
This is a figure of Napoleon III with Prince Albert, each with a drum on the ground and to the side. The figure stands 10 ¾” and dates to about 1854.
A pair of clowns
This is a fine pair of Staffordshire clowns, both standing 6 ½” tall, dating to circa 1860. Each is wearing pantaloons, with the figure on the left holding a cane.
Scottish hunter
This is an interesting example of a Scottish hunter, wearing kilt and underglaze blue coat, with a dog at his knee and a rifle resting near his right hand. The figure stands 14 ¼” tall and dates to about 1860.
