19th Century Ceramic Statuettes
These 19th century ceramic statuettes capture historical personalities, literary figures, and pastoral scenes in earthenware and porcelain.
19th Century Ceramic Statuettes
The selection ranges from large pairs of French porcelain figures and Staffordshire lions to small German porcelain figurines and Chinese pottery tigers. These objects served as mantel ornaments and decorative displays in Victorian and continental homes.
How They Were Made
Potters shaped these figures using earthenware, hard-paste porcelain, Parian ware, and biscuit porcelain, applying glaze and enamel to seal the ceramic body. Many continental and English pieces feature gilding, gold leaf, and hand-painted details.
Factories such as Volkstedt, Meissen, and Samson utilised moulds to cast figures, often echoing earlier styles like Chelsea and Derby. Staffordshire potters shaped earthenware bodies by hand or in slip-moulds before applying coloured glazes.
Several Staffordshire poodles carry glazed ceramic baskets in their mouths, ready to deliver messages.
What Varies in Quality
The precision of the gilding and the delicacy of applied elements, such as foliage or garments, indicate the skill of the workshop. Factory marks and adherence to earlier historical styles also influence the standing of a piece.
Edme Samson·Volkstedt Rudolstadt Factory·Royal Worcester·Vion & Baury·Sitzendorf·Helena Wolfsohn
The 19th Century Ceramic Statuettes Glossary
- Flatback
- A Staffordshire pottery figure designed with an unglazed or finished rear meant to be placed against a wall on a mantelpiece.
- Biscuit porcelain
- Unglazed porcelain fired once to produce a matte, white surface with a texture similar to marble.
- Parian ware
- A fine-grained, unglazed porcelain developed in the 19th century to imitate white marble statuary.
- Hard-paste porcelain
- A durable ceramic composition fired at high temperatures, known for its bright white body and vitreous quality.
- Enamel
- Opaque vitreous material fused to the ceramic surface to add painted colour and detail to figures.
19th Century Ceramic Statuettes: Frequently Asked Questions
What are Staffordshire flatbacks?
Staffordshire flatbacks are earthenware figures produced in English potteries with finished fronts and flat, unglazed backs designed to stand against walls.
Potters created these to depict contemporary events, literary characters, and animals for Victorian households.
Why did factories copy earlier styles?
Continental workshops, particularly in Paris and Germany, recreated the styles of earlier factories like Chelsea and Derby to satisfy collector demand.
These revival pieces utilised 19th-century porcelain techniques while adopting 18th-century aesthetic forms.
How do I identify Parian ware?
Parian ware appears as an unglazed, white porcelain with a smooth matte finish that resembles carved marble.
Victorian makers utilised this material specifically for classical figures and portrait busts.
Where were these statuettes displayed?
These figures stood on mantelpieces, tabletops, and sideboards as decorative ornaments in 19th-century interiors.
Pairs of figures were often arranged symmetrically on either side of a fireplace or mirror.