Antique Figurines of a Boy and Shepherdess by Samson, France, C. 19 Century.

A good quality, nicely modeled and hand painted perfectly pair of Derby’s figurines reproduction by French company Samson made in the middle of 19th century.

The boy stands with a hat filled with picked berries, which he eats and shoots at the girl with the bones. She raises her hand in defense against this naughtiness. The boy wearing a nice cobalt color coat with puce lined and yellow breeches with floral ornaments. Shepherdess dressed in a puce-colored jumper, a cobalt skirt and a yellow cape. The bases are typical for that period with some greenery and applied flowers. This figurines’ group, colored in shades of green, red and cobalt, picked out with rich gilding on raised rococo pierced base. The pieces adorned with rich enamel painting. On both bases painted crown mark in red and Samson factory red “windmill/swastika” mark, which was a mark exclusively used by the Samson.

The craftsmanship of this figurine is remarkable, characterized by its intricate detailing and meticulous execution. Each component of the composition is rendered with precision, reflecting the high level of artistry associated with the Samson factory. The Samson porcelain factory, established by Edmé Samson in Paris in 1845, was known for its high-quality reproductions of historical and museum-grade ceramics. Samson has the expressed intention of making high-quality reproductions of ceramics on display in museums and in private collections. The factory specialized in creating faithful replicas of famous porcelain styles from Meissen, Chantilly, Chelsea, Derby, and even Chinese porcelain. Samson's reproductions were so skillfully made that they were often mistaken for originals, although the factory took care to mark its pieces clearly to avoid deception. Samson & Co. worked primarily with hard-paste porcelain, in contrast to the soft-paste porcelain often used in the originals they imitated. They frequently produced works in different sizes or with different color schemes to differentiate them from the originals. Despite being replicas, Samson pieces have become highly collectible in their own right, valued for their finely painted details and carefully modeled figures. But at a certain stage of development, copies of Samson became more valuable than the originals. Samson porcelain gained a reputation for its finely painted and carefully modeled porcelain figures that it holds for collectors today.

Dimensions: Boy - Weight 1304gr., Height 25 cm., Width 13,5 cm, Depth 12,5 cm. Shepherdess - Weight 1254 gr., Height 25 cm., Width 14 cm., Depth 14 cm.

Condition: Small - not very noticeable chips to the leaves of the flowers, small scratches to the tree against which the boy is leaning. At the foot of the tree, there is a small chip of paint on the reverse. The shepherdess is missing the fingertips of her left hand.

It appears that both of the shepherdess'' hands have been professionally restored. It is also evident that the front of the shepherdess'' dress has been repainted.

Otherwise excellent antique condition.

Please study the accompanying photographs carefully as they form an integral part of this description. The item will be shipped with full tracking and insurance.