Character & Toby Jugs

The abundance of spooky and supernatural characters in the Royal Doulton range is making Halloween a popular new theme for collectors. Why not put together a ghoulish display for this year’s fancy dress party or put some candy in the scariest jugs to entertain the ‘trick or treat’ callers?

Read the rest of this entry »

If you love doulton character jugs but don’t have a lot of space to devote to a collection then the miniature size is the perfect solution. They measure approximately 2 1/2 inches tall yet have great character and detail.

Special Commissions – An added advantage to collecting minis is that there are just 100 jugs to find. The miniature size was officially discontinued by Royal Doulton in 1991 although there have been occasional introductions since that date, notably the various Christmas miniatures. Read the rest of this entry »

The Celebrity collection of character jugs was launched in 1983 with portraits of Mae West and W.C. Fields and collectors responded with enthusiasm to this new ‘Hollywood’ theme. Doulton negotiated licensing fees with the estates of many stars from the silver screen as well as rock and pop legends such as Buddy Holly and the Beatles.

Read the rest of this entry »

President Barack Obama has been chosen as the 2011 Character Jug of the Year by Royal Doulton, the famous British china company,. Since the 1930s, Royal Doulton artists have become renowned for their portrayals of celebrities in character jug form – Winston Churchill was one of the first politicians to be honored in 1940 and he continues to be a popular subject today. Royal Doulton character jugs are very collectible around the world and particularly in the USA. The new character jug portrait of President Barack Obama will be Read the rest of this entry »

Many Doulton collectors will know Charlie and JoAnn Dombeck as they have been respected dealers for many years, some of them in partnership with Pascoe and Company. Some lucky individuals have had the opportunity to visit their home and so became familiar with their wonderful Doulton collection which they have just sold to Pascoe and Company.

Charlie and JoAnn met and married because of their shared love of Doulton. JoAnn started collecting character jugs after a Bahamas Read the rest of this entry »

Charles Noke
The first Doulton figures of the 1890s were produced in a parchment colored body known as Vellum. The ivory finish was similar to Charles Noke’s work at the Worcester factory where he trained. Shortly after he arrived at Doulton’s of Burslem, Noke launched his new Vellum figures at the Chicago exhibition of 1893. The first Vellum pieces were tinted with soft sheens of pink and green but gradually bolder decorations were devised by the prestige painters in Robert Allen’s studio

Read the rest of this entry »

Doulton began celebrating maritime history in the early 1800s with a portrait jug of Lord Nelson, Britain’s great naval hero. The centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar, where Nelson lost his life, stimulated a large collection of stoneware commemoratives in 1905 and Nelson has continued to inspire Doulton artists ever since.

Read the rest of this entry »

The tiny size of character jug, measuring around 1 ½ inches, was introduced in 1940. The first six characters featured their name on the base but production was limited because of the war and the practice was discontinued when the second six characters were introduced in 1947. The original set of 12 tinies remained in production until 1960 and proved to be popular little gifts.

However rising labor costs eventually made production uneconomic. Tinies require expert decorating skills Read the rest of this entry »

King Henry VIII and his Six Wives Royal Doulton figurines

King Henry VIII (reigned 1509-1547)

In his youth, Henry VIII could turn the head of any woman – chopping off heads came later! He was handsome, athletic and considered to be the most accomplished prince of his age. However, by the time he was 50, his waist had expanded to 56 inches. He suffered from gout and his legs were so painful that he was carried around in a specially made chair. The court painter, Hans Holbein, glossed over these ailments in his splendid portraits of the monarch, which inspired all
Read the rest of this entry »