Can anyone tell me anything about this congregation please. Pen as size guide. Can not see if it is signed as there is green baize glued to the base.
Welcome, Theresa! I see that your pictures are in the Gallery. You can use the little camera icon in the Reply Box toolbar to embed them here.
I'm not sure that is a commercially-produced piece; it looks quite interesting, but there would be a whole lot of amateur potters and the like who could do it, as well as many professional artists or "studio potters." The lady in the back row appears to be talking on a phone, so that might help date it.
She is not holding a mobile...she is just sweeping her hair back. Sold as a one off Will Young pottery piece of Widecombe church congregation.
Y'know....when you come here asking " Can anyone tell me anything about this congregation please".....& you already know more than we do......It would be proper to tell us what you know about it ....right out of the gate !
I only know what it was sold to me as but it does not look like any other of the Will Young pieces I have seen on google search so was looking for expert help and guidance from members on this site...it is still very much of a mystery to me. All I know is that I liked it when I saw it so bought it. Maybe I was miss sold it and it is not actually Will Young, both Will and his son Alan have passed away now so there is no one to ask. Bought it from an Antiques center whilst visiting my daughter in Reading. Got in touch with the previous owner who told me it was a one off piece by Will Young of Widecombe church....but I have my doubts now and was looking for help if anyone had seen similar ! .......I find your attitude a bit pompous....I was only asking for help, is this how you treat newcomers ??
When you know something about a piece, or were told something about it, it is only polite to mention that; as in "I was sold this as a Will Young piece depicting the Widecombe congregation. Has anyone seen something similar?" To do otherwise gives the impression that you are trying to be clever or disingenuous, or intentionally trying to mislead by implying you know nothing about the item, when in fact, you know what you have been told, even if you are not sure it is true. You are asking members to help you decide if it is as represented; but you are concealing the real question, and asking another, thus leading members on a wild-goose chase. It is not pompous to suggest that you should ask your real question, and not mislead by asking a fake question. And, it is rude to feel insulted and to ask "is this how you treat newcomers" when you have, intentionally or not, misled everyone who read your post. You should apologize for taking offense when none was given, and for asking your question in a misleading way, in my opinion. And, I am not being offensive here, just trying to help you formulate your questions more clearly.
Armed with the knowledge that it was sold as a Young piece, I'd offer the opinion that a comparison to other pieces sold as by Young shows some significant differences. I note a very different treatment of the hands and faces, compared to the piece shown below; and your piece is done in a much more realistic way; the one below more like caricature. But you may well know more about Will Young than I do, it appears.
The oldest it could be, IMHO, is as old as a cell phone, as that's what the woman in the corner in the back row appears to be holding, from enlarging full size @Ladybranch's image ......but that's all I've got!!!! But I do think it's neat!!!
Original Poster - OP - says she is adjusting her hair, though it looked rather like she was holding an object, to me. But I could be wrong. It looks significantly different to me than the pieces by Will or Alan Young on this site; the hands especially and the more realistic treatment of the figures. http://www.gunnsgallery.co.uk/artists/356/will-young-pottery
Why ...YES ! This is exactly how I personally treat newcomers who leave out important information that they already know about an item that they are asking for help with ! All-Fakes just proved my point by coming up with helpful information....but only after he knew where to look. & as for what you think of my attitude ...there was no attitude.....there was only a point made ....that you should remember, when asking for any further help in the future ! How can we serve you best, if you withhold important information ....or even speculation....that you're already in possession of ?