Authentic Staffordshire Neptune figure?

I'm having a really hard time with this Staffordshire Neptune figure so if there is anyone out there that could throw some light on the subject it would be much appreciated.

It looks very much like an early 19C Staffordshire Neptune, has a blue tinge to the glaze, fairly crudely painted, is variously crazed over its surface. But it just feels like its in too good condition to me, some of the paint feels like its over the glaze (as it should be) but most of the figure's body feels likes the glaze is over the paint.

The trident is metal and slides out of the hands (I would assume that would be a replacement, even if the figure was genuine).

What do you think?

Edit: None of my pictures seem to be uploading properly so I think we are going to struggle here. Maybe next time.

 

Is there anything on the bottom? Think the trident would be original to it; can't imagine the original getting damaged to the point of needing replacement while the porcelain remained intact. Or are there repairs to the porcelain?

 

https://www.rubylane.com/item/58656...MItLWt0L36_QIVNhGzAB32gw-4EAQYAiABEgKdh_D_BwE

 

Beautiful-Cute lil' Roadshow piece,great find (UK?).

 

Thank you very much for this, what was I doing wrong?

 

Hi and thanks for the response. I have lots of pictures of this, I'll try to post them once I work out what I'm doing wrong.
Nothing on the bottom, no writing on it at all in fact, no makers marks, no words. I've seen other examples of this exact figure, some have markers marks and the word 'Neptune' impressed, others have nothing, like mine. The lack of words / makers marks don't worry me too much because it's common for Staffordshire figures of the early 19C to have no identifying marks, or at least that's my understanding. One of the worrying things for me is that Staffordshire figures of this age were fired and glazed, then the painting went on top I think, which is why you see so many Staffordshire figures with terrible paint. This figure seems to have some paint over the glaze but the main body and cloak has paint under the glaze. So I dont really know what to think.
The thing is I've seen figures that look exactly like this being sold as genuine for a few hundred pounds but I absolutely hate to put anything up for sale without being pretty certain it is what I say it is. ie genuine.

 

Hi, yes I'm form the south of England, Bournemouth, Dorset. What do you mean by roadshow piece?

 

'Roadshow' piece=if you brought it to the TV show-You'd get a few 'oohs & aahs' when You told them you'd picked it up for 20P in a car boot sale (joking).Here's a few so-called Staffordshire 'Experts' in the UK.Best to show them the piece in person & two opinions always better than one-good luck !
https://andrewdando.co.uk/contact-us/

https://www.antiquepottery.co.uk/?s=staffordshire&x=0&y=0&post_type=product

https://madelena.com/
PS-Folks here may know these firms reputations better than I,don't find much of this ceramic in the US.

 

Ah I see what you mean by roadshow piece . I actually got it for £40 from an auction, which I guess is great if its genuine and terrible if it's not.
Thanks for the links, I will certainly give them a go. I have already tried 1 or 2 other people but nobody's has got back yet.

 

Be nice if you could find someone w/ expertise close by-hop in the car/bus/train for an in-person look-see.The Craquelure (crackle) in the glaze looks good to me,but i'm far from an expert.

 

Just a quick update.
Contacted 2 of the Staffordshire specialists you suggested (emails with pictures etc)

The first came back with a very brief email essentially saying he thought it was modern, probably a Chinese reproduction.

The second said it was definitely genuine early 19th century but then went into quite a detailed description of why he thought it had been restored around the feet and upper arm.

Not sure where that leaves me, feels like I'm not much further forward. Its proving a bit difficult to find someone with decent knowledge to take it to who lives locally.

I think it's interesting though that two different specialists in Staffordshire figures can come to such different conclusions. It clearly can't be very obvious, either way.

 

Speaking of so-called 'Experts'-check out the documentary 'The Lost DaVinci',all the world class dueling expertise will make your head spin ! Good luck Kale.

 

If you run a straight pin over the areas which the expert thought were restored, a restored area may feel bumpy, rougher, or "catch" when the pin runs over it whereas it will be the same feeling for the length if unrestored.

 

Kent-Good suggestion.I should type in 'restored'/'restoration' in our query box to learn more tips.
PS-Calling all Brit Staffordshire groupies-was this stuff cheap/affordable when it was newly sold ? It certainly doesn't seem like higher-end early to mid 19th century stuff.

 

Hi & thanks for the tip, I've put the figure in storage now but I'll certainly try that next time I get the chance.

 

The crudeness of the painting is one of the things that suggests it is genuine, or so I was told. During my research, I've come up with several examples of the exact same figure, I think originally there would be a plinth-like element the whole thing sat on but I've seen so many examples where it is missing that the two parts must have been very easy to separate.
I think you are right though, at the time I think these figures were probably mass produced and painted as quickly as humanly possible. Not so much collectable because of any quality but because of it's age and how many of them must have been simply thrown away as rubbish over the past 200 years.

 

These figures, and the flat back figures, were largely made for the rising middle class who couldn't afford the costly porcelain figures of the high quality factories. (Early Staffordshire figures are rarer and sought after by collectors even in this depressed ceramics market.) Flat backs are so-called because they were placed on mantles and a decorated back was not seen and therefore unnecessary. Yes, children painted the decoration on some. I think they are charming -- the pastille castles and cottages, the "clocks" with a fixed time painted on the dial, as well as the mythical, allegorical, political and theatric figures. Often they were "spill vases" where part of the decoration held twists of paper or thin bits of wood as fire starters. There are a number of good books on the subject should you wish to learn more!

 

Can't say I'm a big fan of Staffordshire figures aesthetically but I do find them very evocative of a certain period. The problem with reference books is that there's a hundred different aspects of ceramics that I'm interested in and I could quite easily spend £1000 on books. At the moment I'm thinking about getting the Shelley teacup pattern book as there's quite a strong market for Shelley in England and I see pieces come up on a regular basis. However the really good books (comprehensive & in depth) tend to be quite pricey.