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English Pottery Tortoise-shell Creamware Figure of St. George Fighting the Dragon,
Staffordshire,
Possibly modelled by Enoch and Ralph,
Late 18th Century.
The earthenware figure depicts St. George and the Dragon. St. George is on horseback with a spear in hand in green and yellow glazes as is the dragon. The base and horse in a mottled tortoise-shell brown glaze. The saint is wearing full armour and modelled seated astride his rearing horse, the dragon writhing on the ground beneath, on an oval rocky mound base. The figure is after a 17th century Francesco Fanelli (active 1608–1661) bronze, about 1635-see below.
Provenance: Heisel Collection (Paper label)
Dimensions: 11 1/4 inches high x 9 inches wide x 5 1/2 inches deep
See: A Passion for Pottery: Further Selections from The Henry H. Weldon Collection, Peter Williams and Pat Halfpenny, Page 307, #209 for a pearlware example which is very similarly modelled attributed to Ralph Wood.
Reference: The Holburne Museum has a very similar Fanelli figure (https://www.holburne.org/bronze-scupture-of-st-george-and-the-dragon/) The figure group is inspired by the bronze made by Fanelli c1580-1661, an artist who worked in England during King Charles 1 reign. Records show that small bronzes like these stood on the windowsills of important rooms in Whitehall Palace.
Charles I admired Italian statuettes, having inherited an important group from his elder brother, Prince Henry (1594-1612). He went on to buy the famous Gonzaga collection of antique sculpture for £10,000.
The sculpture, of which Fanelli produced several versions, is based on a painting by Raphael which was also in the collection of Charles I and is currently kept at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
(Ref: NY9952-inrr)
Dimensions
28.58cm high x 22.86cm x 13.97cmCondition report
Structurally sound. The left foot has been invisibly repaired and there is a chip to the tip of the horse's left ear.The BADA Standard
- Since 1918, BADA has been the leading association for the antiques and fine art trade
- Members are elected for their knowledge, integrity and quality of stock
- Our clients are protected by BADA’s code of conduct
- Our dealers’ membership is reviewed and renewed annually
- Bada.org is a non-profit site: clients deal directly with members and they pay no hidden fees
