Anna Burnside
Head of Sale
Lot 139
A rare early Derby white figure of Harlequin, circa 1750
1 December 2025, 13:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£1,500 - £2,000
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Jim Peake
Head of Department
Fergus Gambon
Director
A rare early Derby white figure of Harlequin, circa 1750
Modelled in an animated pose leaning back on a tree stump, his right hand holding on to the broad brim of his hat, the other resting on his lap, on a mound base applied with leaves, 12cm high
Footnotes
Provenance
With E & H Manners, 2012
Literature
White, Peter, 'Two distinct early Derby white groups of figures and some quandaries', ECC Trans, Vol.25, 2014, pp.165 and 169, figs.1 and 11
White, Mary, People at the Whites' House, Vol.5, 2024, p.85
Traditionally attributed to Longton Hall, it is now generally accepted that this figure belongs to the same early experimental group of Derby as the figure of Kitty Clive, lot 149 in this sale, see Peter White, 2014, pp.170-1. It is just possible that the figure in its undecorated form represents Pierrot, although the coloured versions are clearly painted as Harlequin. Another white version of this figure was sold by Christie's on 21 April 1980, lot 271 (as Longton Hall). A coloured version was sold by Bonhams as part of the Dr Peter Bradshaw Collection (as Longton Hall) on 24 January 2007, lot 46. Another from the Schreiber Collection is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no.414:22-1885). The prototype may have been the Meissen figure of 'Scowling Harlequin' modelled by J J Kaendler, see Peter Bradshaw, 'Some Rare Porcelain Harlequins', Journal of the NCS, Vol.10, 1993, pp.1-6. Mary White suggests that the source may instead be a print of circa 1728-31 titled 'Habit d'Arlequin Moderne', engraved by François Joullain.