I believe this figure is made of porcelain, but I'm not sure how to tell porcelain from other ceramic materials, so cant be certain. The figure has two, very small 'pinholes' or air holes, one through the bottom on the underside of the base, and another through the tree trunk behind the figurines legs.
As you can see from the pics, it is a figure of a man carrying a basket of fruits or vegetables. There is a line of gilding around the brim of the hat, the sleeve cuffs, the front of the shirt, and the front of the base. The other colors used on the figure can be clearly seen in the photos, so won't go into detail.
The head and facial features are rather small and finely carved. There is nothing particularly ornate about this figurine, but it does seem to be of good quality and workmanship.
There are a total of three marks on the underside of the base. Two are small, handpainted marks in a dark reddish brown...one is a capital "F" and is located on the unglazed outer rim of the base bottom. The other is located on the inner, glazed portion and appears to be a capital 'L' followed by the number '18' or 'L18'. Then there is a third larger mark in the center. It is an orangish-red, and may be a stamp of some kind. Part of it is faded, making it rather difficult to read, but as best I can tell, it says 'Old Staffordshire'. Something always seemed a bit suspect about this stamped mark. See pics
Thanks
