Water carriers depicted in figurines

#Middlebury #Antiques

Everyday life was often depicted in paintings or figurines in the days when photographs were unknown. Familiar workers like firemen, soldiers, farmers or royalty were made from porcelain or metal. Several important factories, including the Royal Worcester company of England, Royal Dux, Zsolnay, Goldscheider, Hummel, Lladro and KPM, made water-carrier figures of porcelain. Others created bronze figures. They must have had a very important, very familiar job to have been subjects for so many makers.

This pair of Royal Worcester water carriers sold for $240. They are large enough to be important decorations on a table, but most of your guests won’t realize how important they were to life in a Victorian city.

Most people today do not realize that the water carrier was an important person. Water had to be scooped from a well, then walked to the center of the city or perhaps carried in a cart, where it was ladled into containers held by customers. There were no wells or piped-in water supplies.

The figures were very similar – usually a pair, a man and a woman, each holding a pouring jug and a large container of water. They were wearing the common clothes of the country. The woman often carried the water bottle on her head. Each figure was 10 to 15 inches tall, and most were glazed in appropriate colors. A pair of marked Royal Worcester water carriers made in the late 19th century sold for $240 at a Cowan’s auction.

Q: I am trying to identify a table I inherited from an aunt. The table has a paneled drawer, applied panels on the sides and a turned trestle-like base with a shelf. It had an inset leather top that was tattered, and there is an odd drawer hanging underneath. This piece was covered in black tar from years in a basement. I don’t know what is. I think it was part of a home library. Can you help?

A: You have a ladies’ work table, probably from the late Victorian era. Sewing or work tables originated in England about 1770 and were used in America after the Revolutionary War. Women gathered in a parlor and worked around a small table with a surface for writing, needlework or other activities. Early work tables were Sheraton or Empire and often made of mahogany. They had a drawer or two for storage. Later Victorian tables were heavily carved with turned scroll legs. Most had an extra storage compartment under the top – either a cloth sack or a compartment under the central drawer. Ladies’ work tables auction for about $225 to $600.

Current Prices
Silver creamer, repousse, roses, c-scroll handle, S. Kirk & Sons, 4-1/2 inches, $190.
Model plane, wood and metal with red paint, working engine, propeller and landing wheels, 1950s, 48 inches with 5-feet-6-inch wing span, $350.
Doulton jardiniere, pedestal, impressed autumn leaves, red, tan, Lambeth, 24 x 14-1/2 inches, $630.
Louis Vuitton suitcase, monogram, leather, brass straps, pull-out tray, 1920, 31 x 20 inches, $1,025.

TIP: The more elaborate the interior fittings for a desk, the more valuable the piece.

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