This figurine was my grandmothers and was bought in England over 50 years ago. It sits on a roughly made wooden disc that has hand made wooden stem feet (3). It has a glass dome that has a rough edge that sits in a groove in the disc stand. It is very detailed and there is a royal crest on the back of the chair she sits in. Please see pictures. I really don’t know anything else except my Aunt (now in her 90s) said it is very valuable. I don’t know. Any information anyone has will be appreciated. Thank you very much.
Jon
A copy or inspired version was done by Royal Doulton.
Queen Victoria Style 2 LE Royal Doulton Figurine
The Royal Doulton figurine Queen Victoria wearing a purple dress was designed by P. Parsons in 2003 in a Limited Edition of 2500. This lovely figure stands at 5.5 inches or 14.0 cm.
HN 4475
$495.00 Can
$410.85 US
http://www.doultonfigurines.com/large_pic.php?part_no=HN%204475
So, perhaps the original Parian figurine was done by Doulton???
An acknowledgement in J.B. Priestly’s Victoria’s Heyday dates the figurine at circa 1850. It was taken at the County Museum, Hartlesbury Castle, Worcestershire, England. The photo is attributed to a Don J. Adams of Worcester. I have sent an email asking if they still have the figurine and if they have any further information that they could share.
The museum came back and the photo depicts their acquisition; date to the museum (1970) and its presumed date as 1864. They further suggested it may be a Spode Copeland piece. I am trying to run this lead down now.
I have ordered a copy of the book Victoria’s Heyday. New York: Harper & Row, 1972 by J.B. Priestley, which is referenced on the Victorian Web site referenced previously. It is said to have ’34 full page color plates & dozens of B&W photos & engravings’ I am hopeful that the photo referenced on the Vctorian website has additional information on the figurine. It is labeled as 1850, but, perhaps the maker will be disclosed. In any event it has been an interesting little puzzle and fascinating to find out a little history on this figurine. I will update this thread when I get the book.
I have also emailed the Victoria and Alpert Museum in London asking if they have any info. They have a Parian collection which they display photos of, but it seems their figurines are mostly ‘in storage’. I thought that the Victoria figurine might spark some interest, but we will see.
The fun continues.
Queen Victoria
Parian Ware
1850
This portrait of the queen in an expensive form of ceramics was obviously intended for the upper middle classes who could afford it. Contrast it to the crude Staffordshire pottery figures that served as the three-dimensional ceramic version of a printed broadside.
http://www.victorianweb.org/art/design/ceramics/victoria/4.html
Photo from the above website. It seems it is an antique and considered an expensive and Parian. Thank you to the website which by it’s existence spurred me to do some research and find out about this piece which I have wondered about for years.
I looked up some portraits and it may be a young Queen Victoria at coronation. It looks a lot like some of the portraits, but the portraits all show her with a scepter at her coronation. I don’t think it looks like Elizabeth at all, so I think she is out and I don’t know who else would be seated with the royal coat of arms on a chair like that……….unless it predates Victoria.
Picture of coronation attached.
