CIRCA 1755-60

Porcelain production at Vauxhall was a short-lived and experimental affair under the directorship of the jewellery retailer and merchant Nicholas Crisp and his partner John Sanders. Commercial production began in around 1753 resulting in a range of rococo inspired vases, figures and table wares. Experimental changes in paste and glaze resulted in a variable output and the factory ceased production in around 1764. An advertisement of 1764 announcing the sale of the entire stock of the factory includes reference to 'curious Figures, all Sorts of ornamental Toys', see Roger Massey, Felicity Marno and Simon Spero, 'Ceramics of Vauxhall, 18th century Pottery and Porcelain', English Ceramic Circle, June 2007, p. 91. The present equestrian figure belongs to a group of figures formerly thought to be Longton Hall but now reattributed to Vauxhall. The discovery of biscuit porcelain shards near the site of Crisp and Sanders Glasshouse Street factory in 1987 has enabled further identification of a range of Vauxhall porcelain. Interestingly the Vauxhall figure modeller Thomas Hammersley went on to work with Nicholas Crisp at Bovey Tracey and then at the Plymouth and Bristol factories resulting in direct parallels between some of the models at these factories.

There appear to be only two equestrian models of this type, the other being an enamelled version in the collection of the British Museum (also formerly from the Wallace Elliot Collection) which was previously attributed to Longton Hall and illustrated by Bernard Watney in Longton Hall Porcelain, London, 1957, col. pl. A and p. 44.

The present figure may be a representation of Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1735-1806). The Duke is shown wearing the Order of the Garter, with which he was invested on 16th August 1759, after the Battle of Minden in which he defeated the French. However the modelling and colour of the paste and glaze suggests that this model may perhaps date very slightly earlier than 1759. The example of this model in the British Museum has a banner decorated in gilt with fleur-de-lys amongst other trophies of war at the base, also supporting the notion that this figure represents the Duke of Brunswick. A similarly modelled bronze sculpture of the Duke of Brunswick dating from the 19th century is in front of Brunswick Palace. The fashion for impressive equestrian sculpture was seen at numerous Continental porcelain factories in the 18th century including Meissen and Fürstenberg and the potters at Vauxhall were no doubt inspired by their Continental counterparts.