Royal Doulton Christmas Through The Years

royal doulton insight
Christmas Through the Years
Royal Doulton
By Christopher Evans
From the earliest times the Royal Doulton Studios have produced wares to celebrate the
Christmas holiday and to decorate our homes. Few collectors settle with just one field of
collecting. So each year wonderful displays of Royal Doulton are created in homes the world
over specifically to celebrate this wonderful time of year.
That doyenne of Royal Doulton figures, Peggy Davies, created a bevy of Christmas figures for our
pleasure including Noelle HN2179, Christmastime HN2110 and of course Sophie HN2833, inspired
by the drawings of Kate Greenaway. Royal Doulton’s impressive heritage of figure production has
continued up until today, with a variety of subjects from pretty lady figures to Santa figures to help us
celebrate this special time of the year. For over a decade Royal Doulton has been producing its annual
Christmas Day figure. With over ten ladies now available to collect, creating an impressive seasonal
display is easy.
Christopher Evans
Royal Doulton Historian
Of all the figures ever produced by Royal Doulton, the ‘red’ ladies have proved the most popular, and a display of ladies in red
makes a striking statement. This year’s figure, Christmas Wish HN5429, dressed in her elegant crimson gown and matching
fur trimmed cloak reminds us of what is so special about Royal Doulton ladies and she truly captures the spirit of the season.
A petite Christmas Day figure is also available, Winter Romance HN5435. She too is the embodiment of the best Royal
Doulton has to offer, with her rich decoration and elegant pose.
introducing royal doulton snow globes
Decorating your home for the festive period is always a precious moment. So why not include one of the exciting new Royal
Doulton Snow Globes to compliment your festive theme? There are four to choose from, each one a miniature of Royal
Doulton’s most beloved Christmas Day figures. Every globe features one of these pretty ladies in a festive setting ready for
the snow to start falling. These globes have a strict limited edition of 2,000 and are sure to become treasured by collectors
year in and year out.
Winter Romance
2011 Christmas Day
Petite of the Year
HN5435 6.75”H $95
Christmas Wish
2011 Christmas Day
Figure of the Year
HN5429 8.75”H $224
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Winters Day Snow Globe
HN5521 5.5”H $80
Christmas Gifts Snow Globe
HN5524 5.5”H $80
Christmas Day Snow Globe
HN5523 5.5”H $80
Christmas Night Snow Globe
HN5522 5.5”H $80
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jolly old saint nick
Christmas Tree Tableau
Ltd. of 250 DB477
5”H $400
As one would expect with such a universally popular product,
Christmas is extensively celebrated in the Bunnykins series.
Figures including Winter Lapland Bunnykins, Christmas
Morning Bunnykins and even a Bunnykins Carol Singer
musical box have been introduced. The series extends to
include tree ornaments (available from 1991-1993), and the
very rare top of the tree Santa Bunnykins Ornament DB62
from 1987. More recently, Royal Doulton has introduced a
limited edition Bunnykins Tableaux, Christmas Tree DB477.
This charming piece depicts the Bunnykins family watching
Father Bunnykins place a present on the Christmas tree.
With a limited edition of only 250, this delightful tableaux
will make a memorable and meaningful gift.
Any Seriesware collector will be able to cite immediately the amazingly rare Christmas themed
pieces for which they long for. Three particularly sought after patterns found on miniatures are
Christmas, Snow Scenes and Ice-Skating. These all command high prices no matter which
season they appear in throughout the year. Further patterns to look for include Snowflake and
Coaching Days in a winter landscape and the very rare Snow Scenes pattern that is decorated
in low relief and usually features country folk walking through the snow to their cottages.
This year we are proud to introduce
another exciting development for Royal
Doulton, the new 2011 Holiday Barbie
HN5531. This iconic figure is instantly
recognisable and Royal Doulton has
perfectly captured the charm and
elegance that collectors from around the
world so admire in this cultural icon.
Barbie is shown here in her fashionable gown trimmed with fur, and finished with a
Santa-style black and gold belt. This figure is truly a new twist on an old favourite
that will appeal to both Royal Doulton and Barbie collectors alike.
Holiday Barbie 2011
HN5531 8.75”H $224
Father Christmas himself has naturally been
immortalised many times over the years by artists
such as Bill Harper with his Father Christmas
HN2175 from 1982, Robert Tabbenor’s Father
Christmas HN3399 from 1992 and then with Santa
Claus HN4175 in 2000. Royal Doulton continues the
tradition this year introducing a classic new example
of this popular character modelled by Neil Faulkner.
Father Christmas HN5436 is portrayed inspecting
the many toys he is to deliver with a young elf at his
feet busy painting other toys. The figure epitomises
the perfect gift to family or friends this Christmas.
Everybody will surely want to be on Santa’s ‘nice’
list to receive one of these charming figures this
year. Royal Doulton’s new 2011 Christmas tableau
for the Holiday Traditions collection ‘Santa’s Toy
Testing’ HN5549 reminds us of the excitement of
the Christmas period for children, young and old,
the world over and this endearing tableau really does
bring the Christmas spirit to life.
A Toby Jug by Bill Harper of Father Christmas
was produced in 1993 in a limited edition. He
has appeared as a Character Jug many times since
the first introduction in 1981. There followed two
further versions in 1982 and 1983, all three having
the distinguishing feature of a different handle. The
Santa Claus jug marked a new departure for Royal
Doulton as they produced a definite annual variation
of one jug to satisfy collectors’ enthusiasm that was
available for one year only. A further version of
this jug appeared in 1984 with a plain handle and
remained in production in a large size until 2000
and in a small size until 2002. Bill Harper modelled
a tiny version of this jug for Seaway China in 1993 in
a limited edition of 2,500. This version with a plain
handle was followed by further commissions for
Seaway China with differently modelled handles
as follows: red and white candy cane (1995),
Christmas parcels (1996) and teddy bear (1997).
All of these tiny jugs were produced in a limited
edition of 2,500.
2011 Father Christmas
HN5436 8.75”H $200
Santa’s Toy Testing HN5549
2011 Santa Tableau
Ltd. of 4,000
7.5”H $122.50
Whether your fascination is for figures, snow
globes or Bunnykins, Royal Doulton has the
perfect highlight for your holiday display! Ask
your Seaway China specialist to help you find a
new Royal Doulton treasure for your collection
and bring the joy of the season into your home.
6 • Order 24 Hours • 800.968.2424
Shop Online • www.seawaychina.com • 7