Topic: Victorian Pressed Glass Victoria? Figure John Derbyshire maybe??

[LEGSY]

Finally picked up courage to pay the asking price for these not everybodies
cup of tea pressed glass figures after watching them in a shop window.
For a few weeks i have not been able to find any online the same but i have
noted mention of John Derbyshires company making quite a few figures!
Has anybody seen these before they are Uranium green but a more yellowy
color than green and they are a good size at 7" wide 4" deep 7.5" tall i can not
find any marks or rd numbers etc so hoping for a lead here thanks for looking Dan

[Ekimp]

Hi Dan, it has to be done sometimes, doesn’t it

I can’t help with identification I’m afraid, but they are interesting looking figures. It could be the photographs...but it looks like she has unusually long thighs with little short lower legs? As you say, maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but it takes all sorts to make a world

Perhaps the accuracy of the modelling could indicate or rule out certain makers? Could they be something religious? Good luck, Mike.

[LEGSY]

 
Thank you for your reply i have been looking all over the net and found a single
thread right here under my nose Kevin also had a figure like this although i am not
sure how to link to it he also couldn't find an attribution or at least a solid one he is
also an author on glass so i may have a fairly rare pair here but no closer to a maker
Thanks Ekimp your right lower short legs in the other mentioned thread it
was mentioned maybe Brittania OR Victoria the figure has what looks to be a shield section on the
lower section i will try for better pictures in morning.

[KevinH]

I could not find a thread relating to various combinations of "Derbyshire" "Pressed" "Victoria" "Kevin".

But trying "Brittania" [inaccurate spelling of "Britannia"] in the keywords came up with a thread from 2005: Mysterious Vaseline Figurine

Does not solve the ID but seems to be the same figure.

Also found, on Worthpoint: C19th Uranium Glass Britannia Figure / John Derbyshire / English Pressed Glass which is a different item (and looks right for "Britannia") and is stated as marked to the base as John Derbyshire with date 1874.

The Worthpoint item is the same as illustrated in Angel Bowey's Glass Encyclopedia article on "John Derbyshire Glass"

Was there just one figure iof Britannia from John Derbyshire? If so, then the queried item is definitely not John Derbyshire.

[thewingedsphinx]

Hi,
My father has a significant collection of Derbyshire figurines and figurines in general and I’m fairly confident that these are probably ? not from the Derbyshire factory, however they are very rare and because they are unmarked I think you will be very lucky to identify them. I recently tried to buy one on sale in USA but they wouldn’t post to U.K. as I wanted it as a present for my dad.
It could be from Henry Greener or even possibly European, as some European makers liked Victoria.
Kind regards Mike

[Ekimp]

You can’t quite see it in Legsy’s photos but in the photos on the other thread - Mysterious Vaseline Figurine - to which KevinH linked, you can see it looks like she is wearing very plain sandals with exposed toes. Is this the case on yours, Dan? Did Victoria ever get depicted this way? If it was Britannia then shouldn’t she have the shield and helmet etc. I think she looks more like a nun, Mary?

[LEGSY]

 
Sorry iv'e been way laid by the problems surrounding the virus today
getting quite crazy at my local shops the site of a lady stood with a
shopping trolley just stacked with trays of tins must of been ten or more
trays has staid with me
I have struggled with my camera  i did try earlier this vaseline glass has to be
the hardest to take decent photographs of as i don't have a black light maybe that
might help?
Really good replies i think your right she may have some sort of sandals but the robe she
is wrapped in does cover her whole length it is quite hard to tell if its robe or sandals
She is wearing a tiara and seems to be quite noble in her demeanor or possibly tired
I suggest she could pass for a sort of Greek god type figure or similar i When i saw them initially
thought Victoria our queen 
Interesting to know they are rare thank you for this information i now know why i struggled finding them :0
when i was deciding to buy them from my local Antiques Center they were not cheap but i feel better now
Does anybody know when roughly these type of pressed glass figurines started being produced??
The person i purchased them from had them for some time in the family and we are in the North West of England
just thought i would mention sorry to go on thank for replying i will find out in the end !!!!i hope

[neilh]

John Derbyshire used the JD anchor on almost everything he did, unlikely to be by him. The next best alternative if you believe it is English, is Greener, however I suspect this one is European as Mike says. As for the figure, I would say it is of the Virgin Mary. What made me think of it is the veil over the figure. I've seen a quite spectacular statue in a Naples church called the Veiled Christ, it is very well known, the best sculpture I've ever seen, quite extraordinary. If you search the net for veiled Marys, there are a fair few, and she's usually got a downward slightly depressed look about her, just like this piece of glass.

[LEGSY]

Few more pictures hopefully help with the design a little
bit more what me and my Dad have discussed is he thinks
that on the side under her is just a chair but i am seeing a shield tucked
in there we can't agree

[LEGSY]

 
Thanks Neil for you reply i have just googled the veiled Christ i agree
superb sculpture And i do see similarities i am starting to think some day
one of us may be in some place and stumble upon what this glass Figurine
is depicting no doubt it will raise a chuckle too I always amazed how one
day you take a picture of a piece and the next time it looks a different piece
all together as with this one a lot better second time round. I am sure i have
seen another figure in the past with these roundels near the base might have
been German but really can't think where