Staffordshire Pottery Auction:Staffordshire Pottery Figure - Keeping warm in church.
Published 13th August 2012
When it comes to satirical I prefer something a little more subtle. Whilst these earlier 19th century Staffordshire pearlware figures are not necessarily meant as critical pieces they do rather make the clergy look like jobbing individuals rather than ‘hell fire and brimstone’ spiritual leaders.
First there is the Vicar and Moses group which depicts the dozing Vicar having had a little sip of something to keep away the cold leaving his clerk ‘Moses’ to continue the sermon. Next is a group sometimes called the Parson and Curate here it seems their efforts to keep out the cold night air have been a little too successful.
Both are gloriously coloured and well modelled and the satire is a little more subtle, there is no villain here, just flawed human beings and I think we can all empathise with that.