Tiger Hunter
Queen Victoria was also titled The Empress of India. India was a colony of Great Britain and hugely important for the trade that existed between those two countries. Major imports to Great Britain were cotton, sisal for making ropes, spices and precious gems.
A large number of Britons went to India with their families to seek their fortune, and sadly one of their leisure time pursuits was big game hunting for trophies to decorate their homes. Tiger hunting was rife and many thousands of tigers were killed. This is a very rare figure.
The figure is 10 inches tall. See Harding Book Two, page 75, figure 1911.
More Figures of the month
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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
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Artabanes
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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.