An 18th-century English soft-paste porcelain figure by the Derby Porcelain Manufactory, painted in bright enamels and gilded. This highly recognisable Derby subject portrays James Quin (1693�1766) in his role as Sir John Falstaff, Shakespeare�s most comic knight. The design follows an engraving by James McArdell after Francis Hayman (c.1760), now in the British Museum (inv. 1902,1011.3373).Falstaff is shown holding a sword and circular shield, standing on a scroll-moulded base with small applied flowers. The paper �bill� in his belt symbolises the character�s debts and mischief at the Boar�s Head Inn.Marked beneath with impressed 291 and painter�s No 5.Documented in Peter Bradshaw, Derby Porcelain Figures 1750�1848 (London, 1990, pp.314�316, 339). The model was produced in six sizes and remains one of Derby�s most beloved theatrical subjects. Similar examples are preserved in the British Museum and V&A Museum, London.Measurements� Height: 21.5 cm / 8.46?� Width:...