A collection of small Parian busts from the late Victorian period

We are offering a small collection of nicely detailed busts of notable figures, each around 20cm / 8” high (unless otherwise stated). All but one bust (Gordon by Goss) are by Robinson & Leadbeater (marked R&L). All are from the late Victorian period.

300606 Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847)            £90

German Romantic composer and conductor.

Condition: Very good. Some yellowing and a tiny crack to the base.

Illustrated in The Parian Phenomenon, page 231.

300708 Anton Rubinstein (1829 – 1894)                             £135

Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein was a Russian pianist, composer, teacher and conductor who founded the first music school in Russia, the St Petersburg Conservatory.

Illustrated in The Parian Phenomenon, page 231.

Condition: Excellent.

300707 William Terris (1847 – 1897)      SOLD

Terris was a fêted, handsome English actor noted for his Shakespearean and “leading man” roles. He became a close friend of the renowned actor-manager Henry Irving and was a member of his company. He was murdered by another actor at the age of 50.

This rare piece is 21cm (8.3”) high.

Condition: Excellent.

300607 William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)        £80

English dramatist and poet.

Illustrated in The Parian Phenomenon, page 229.

Condition: There is a kiln dust mark above his right eyebrow, otherwise the condition is excellent.

291006 Thomas Carlyle (1795 – 1881)    £140

Scottish historian, writer and philosopher Thomas Carlyle was considered one of the leading and influential thinkers and writers of his time in the fields of literature, art and social and political change. At the age of 13 he enrolled at the University of Edinburgh, studying mathematics, philosophy and history.  During and after a short teaching career he studied minerology and European languages and literature and began writing for encyclopaedias and literary journals across a range of disciplines.

Illustrated in the “Parian Phenomenon” page 235.

Height 20cm (c. 8”)

Condition: Excellent

300608 Rudyard Kipling (1865 –1936)    SOLD

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English writer born in British India and known for his novels, short stories and poetry. He was also a journalist. Kipling was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. Nowadays he is probably most commonly known for his novel The Jungle Book and the Just So stories. A line from his poem “If” is on the wall above the doorway to Wimbledon Centre Court.

Illustrated in The Parian Phenomenon, page 233.

Condition: There is some yellowing to the rear of the base, and a small area of roughness to one of the bottom edges of the base, otherwise the condition is excellent.

300409 Sir Walter Scott (1771 – 1832)   £100

Scottish novelist, playwright and poet Sir Walter Scott originally trained and practised as a lawyer but became known for his large number of novels and poetry which were much admired. He also wrote some plays and a significant number of non-fiction works. Scott’s novels and poems have been sources of inspiration for composers and artists. Wikipedia states that 90 operas have been based on his works.

Illustrated in The Parian Phenomenon, page 233.

Condition: Excellent

300408 Major-General Charles George Gordon (1833 – 1885)     SOLD

A finely modelled bust of Major-General Charles George Gordon (1833 – 1885) by W H Goss, first period 1858 -1887, c. 1885, named on plinth.

The characterful bust wears a tasselled fez and has nicely detailed embroidery and epaulettes.

Gordon of Khartoum was a British Army Officer who served in the Crimean War and in China. Later he served as Governor General of The Sudan. In 1884, Gordon was sent to Khartoum to evacuate soldiers and civilians following a revolt by a Muslim religious leader. After evacuating about 2,500 civilians, Gordon stayed in Khartoum to defend the city which he held for a year. Eventually it fell, and Gordon was killed two days before a British relief force arrived.

This figure is illustrated in the Parian Phenomenon page 246 and in Nicholas Pine’s book “Concise Encyclopaedia and 2000 Price Guide to Goss China” 1999 on page 80 and described on page 84. The back is inscribed “Copyright as Act directs W H Goss Stoke-on-Trent January 1885”.

Height: 19cm (7½“)

Condition : Very good. There are some tiny chips to the name plate. Otherwise the bust is excellent.

300501 Horatio Nelson (1758 – 1805)    SOLD

Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB (1758 –1805) was one of the two great British heroes of the Napoleonic Wars, Nelson also fought in the American War of Independence. He was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Illustrated in The Parian Phenomenon, page 235.

Condition:  Excellent.

301001 William Ewart Gladstone (1809 – 1898)  £145

William Ewart Gladstone was a politician (initially a Tory, later a Liberal) who served 4 terms as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Illustrated in The Parian Phenomenon, page 233

Condition:  Excellent.