Lot Essay
For a similarly sponged horse, see P. Halfpenny, English Earthenware Figures, 1740-1840, Suffolk, 1991, p. 126.
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Dealers in equestrian feed, medicine and tack used large pottery horses, like the ones seen here, in their display windows to draw in customers. England has a long history of equestrian culture, and in first half of the 19th century, when the following collection of large scale pottery models of horses were made, this culture was at its peak. Before the proliferation of railways and the steam engine, horses were the main mode of transport and the primary power source for key industries, including agriculture and mining. These models, described as “amongst the most striking figures ever made” (Pat Halfpenny, English Earthenware Figures, 1740-1840, Suffolk, 1991, p. 127), undoubtedly must have charmed the dealers’ clientele. Today these works represent a bygone era in which the horse ownership and care was essential to ‘modern’ life. Traditionally all called ‘Leeds Horses’, now only pearlware models are thought to have been made by the Leeds factory itself. Examples can be found in the Leeds City Museum, the Yorkshire Museum and the Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum. Although single horses appear occasionally at auction, rarely has such a significant herd been on the market at once.
A LEEDS PEARLWARE MODEL OF A HORSE
CIRCA 1810-20
Details
A LEEDS PEARLWARE MODEL OF A HORSE
CIRCA 1810-20
The white horse sponged with dark blue spots and orange bridle, the green base molded with stiff-leaf tips
13 5/8 in. (34.6 cm.) long
CIRCA 1810-20
The white horse sponged with dark blue spots and orange bridle, the green base molded with stiff-leaf tips
13 5/8 in. (34.6 cm.) long
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The Collector