Yes, it is rather kitschy and old-fashioned, but I think it fits well in pride of place on my (rather old-fashioned!) Edwardian fireplace. (I must remember to do a blog post about the discovery of the fireplace!). It looks a whole lot better there than it did on the ugly 1960s tiled fireplace my aunts installed in their Liverpool home to replace the original Edwardian one, after my Grandma died. Even in such an inappropriate setting, when I was a small child in the 50s, I LOVED that piece. In fact, I coveted it. So, whilst it might not be to my taste nowadays, it brings back many memories – and the lady at the fountain does look as if she belongs in the centre of my mantelpiece.
The work has no maker’s markings and sports a chip at the top. There is a hollow section behind the fountain head which seems to be designed to hold a flower – though I think that would be overkill. It has just occurred to me that maybe it was intended to hold something else – perhaps matches, spills for candles or pipe-cleaners. Up close, it looks rather crudely made and I assume it has no value. But there’s something about it when viewed at a distance that elevates it to something special. And, as a bearer of childhood memories, it is priceless to me.
I have done some googling to find other pieces like it and think it most closely resembles Royal Dux – but they used very distinctive markings and this has no trademark at all. I have found several Royal Dux pieces featuring shell fountains and ladies collecting water – even incorporating the same hollow vase section.
Here’s an example:
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