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Pair of Staffordshire Figures of 'The Cobbler and His Wife'
Pair of Staffordshire Figures of 'The Cobbler and His Wife'
Pair of Staffordshire Figures of 'The Cobbler and His Wife'

Pair of Staffordshire Figures of 'The Cobbler and His Wife'

Date19th century
Object NameFigure
Mediumearthenware
ClassificationsCeramics
DimensionsCobbler's Wife: 30 x 15.2 x 13.5cm
Cobbler's Wife: 31 x 15.2 x 10.5cm
AcquisitionPresented in 2005 by Mrs M Jaffray.
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS071922
About MePair of Staffordshire figures of a cobbler and his wife, modelled and painted in the round, with clear glaze, except on portions of the clothing.

Each figure has a gilt line painted around the edge of the square base.

The figure of the cobbler's wife wears an orange blouse with a dull finish, a blue glazed shawl with white polka dots, a pink cloth over her lap and a skirt painted to look like sprigged cotton. She also wears a white head covering with gilt detail. She holds a fully modelled, hollow jug in her right hand and a cup that appears to be full of a pale gold liquid, possibly ale in her left hand. Her clothing and the jug have gilt detailing painted on them.

The figure of the cobbler wears an orange shift with a dull finish, in the same shade as his wife's blouse. He is resting his left foot on a block or trough and holds a shoe in his left hand, which he is working on with a mallet held in his right hand. He also wears a black apron and black hat, both of which have a clear glaze, although the glaze on the hat is dulled slightly. There are a couple of trough-like blocks on the ground at his feet.

Each figure is seated on a stool draped in green cloth and there is a pet animal peering out from under each stool - a cat from under the wife's stool and a dog from under the cobbler's stool. The dog is leaning out over an empty trough.

This pair of figures were intended for display on a mantlepiece, one at each end, with the wife on the left and the cobbler on the right. Their poses reflect this as do the the pet animals included in the modelling, which face outwards at the sides.