Description:
‘The Sailor’s Farewell’ or ‘the Sailor and his Lass’, was an enduringly popular subject for prints and songs well into the 19th century. A sailor is immediately identifiable as they were the only men to wear trousers or ‘Petticoat trouser’ rather than breeches in the 18th century. English creamware figurine known as the "Sailor" who is wearing a hat, short jacket, and trousers and has his right hand on his hip and left hand partially inserted into his jacket, and is standing on a small, circular rocky hill. He forms a pair with the figure commonly called "Sailor's Lass" or "Companion" (HD 2006.33.104.2). Popular prints illustrating the exploits of a sailor and his lady love were published in several series during the period. This pair illustrates the theme of the "Sailor's Farewell" where a sailor takes his leave of a grieving girl. Finely press-molded examples of this pair, which are in a number of collections, may have been made by John Wood of Brownhill or the Ralph and Enoch Wood partnership in Burslem, Staffordshire. John Wood's sales ledger includes an entry for "30 May 1783 to Mr. Joseph Tidmarsh [...] 6 Sailor & c." An invoice in the Wedgwood Archives lists a 16 November 1783 sale of "12 [pairs of] Sailors Lasses" by Ralph Wood (then in partnership with Enoch Wood) to Josiah and Thomas Wedgwood; and according to John Wood's account book, he records 6 October to Mr. Tho Dickins "3 pair Sailor & Lasses coloured 2.6d." However, this pair is not as finely molded, and both have glazed, hollow interiors as opposed to the unglazed interiors found on Wood figures.
Subjects:
Pottery; glaze (coating by location) Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2006.33.104.1 |
