Mounted soldier 18th century

This Staffordshire figure of a mounted soldier was made by John Astbury in the first half of the 18th century, using earthenware with colored slip decoration. Slipware like this was a populist, relatively inexpensive alternative to porcelain. It was made by pouring liquid clay, or “slip,” into a mold. After a preliminary firing, colored slips were added for decoration. Notice the simple green base, setting off the pale horse and rider. The figure doesn’t have the refinement you might expect from elite art. Instead, it has a folksy charm. These figures were often made in multiples, demonstrating an early form of industrial production. The molds allowed for a degree of standardization, but the hand-applied slips ensured that each piece had slight variations. This points to the way that craft and proto-industrial processes have always been intertwined. Appreciating the "how" and "why" it was made helps us to appreciate how such a figure would have been understood.