Antique English Victorian Staffordshire Pottery Portrait Figure ~ "Sankey"

A fine, well coloured and imposing Late 19th Century Antique English Victorian Staffordshire Pottery Portrait Figure of the American Gospel Singer, Composer and Evangelist, Ira David Sankey ~ P D10 ~ H 84, the largest of the four sizes believed to have been produced, who, together with fellow American Evangelist, Dwight Lyman Moody ~ P D9 ~ H 59, toured England in 1873, 1881 and 1882. Together, the pair wrote the "Gospel Hymns", with Sankey's "Sacred Songs and Solos" selling over 50,000,000 copies, an astonishing figure, which clearly would be hard to replicate in today's more secular environment. Unmarked as one would expect, with raised gilt titling to the base, this figure is attributed by Pugh, { Staffordshire Portrait Figures of the Victorian Age }, to Sampson Smith of Longton, { Circa 1846 - 1963 }, and was almost certainly manufactured to meet the popular demand which arose during the first visit by the pair to England in 1873. Those familiar with John Galsworthy's series of novels, "The Forsyte Saga" will recognise Sankey as the inspiration for George Forsyte's sarcastic naming of Old Jolyon's butler in Volume 1, "The Man of Property".

Height ~ 42.00 cm. / 16.53 inches ~ Width ~ 18.00 cm. / 7.08 inches ~ Depth ~ 10.00 cm. / 3.93 inches ~ Year ~ c. 1875

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