Rare Staffordshire figure of ‘Grace Darling’, with lighthouse & wild sea, c. 1850
$380.00 AUD
Rare Staffordshire group, titled ‘Grace Darling’ in cursive gold script to the front, depicting a lighthouse & keeper’s cottage on a rocky outcrop, a lifeboat with Grace sitting as water swirls through it in the rough sea, surrounded by a border of colourful ‘moss’.
Circa 1850 17cm high
Condition: restored head , crack through base , over-painting to reverse, losses
Grace Darling – Heroine of the Sea
This charming Staffordshire figure commemorates one of the most celebrated heroines of the Victorian age—Grace Darling (1815–1842). The daughter of a lighthouse keeper, Grace became a national icon after her daring rescue of survivors from the shipwrecked Forfarshire off the Northumberland coast in 1838. Braving fierce seas in a small rowing boat with her father, she helped save nine lives, against all odds. Just a few years later she died of tuberculosis.Her youthful bravery captured the public’s imagination, inspiring poetry, paintings—and popular ceramic tributes like this figure.Grace’s story epitomised Victorian ideals of courage and virtue, making her a popular subject for ‘mementos’ – including children’s books, several ballads with illustrations, and of course the Staffordshire potters were up with the trend, producing these charming figures for the domestic mantel shelf.
Read more here in our blog article >
| Condition | |
|---|---|
| Size | |
| References |
In stock
