Royal Worcester James Hadley "Down and Out" porcelain menu holder figurine of "The Toff"

£180.00

This marvellous little figure is "The Toff" from the Worcester series of six figures known as the "Down and Outs Menu Men".

They are extremely rare and very difficult to acquire and were used by all the high class hotels and restaurants in London to display the menus, this was worn like a tabard/sandwich board over the shoulders of these figures with a choice of just 3 main courses at the front and 3 desert or pudding choices down the back. It's wonderful to still be able to occasionally acquire collect and keep these items, steeped in history, mystery and intrigue from decades gone by!

Designed and modelled by the highly collectable James Hadley, he is correctly stamped with an impressed Royal Worcester back stamp and also has the Victorian diamond shaped dating lozenge.



139 g
146 cm tall
6 x 4.5 cm base

Excellent antique condition, restoration to hat.

This marvellous little figure is "The Toff" from the Worcester series of six figures known as the "Down and Outs Menu Men".

They are extremely rare and very difficult to acquire and were used by all the high class hotels and restaurants in London to display the menus, this was worn like a tabard/sandwich board over the shoulders of these figures with a choice of just 3 main courses at the front and 3 desert or pudding choices down the back. It's wonderful to still be able to occasionally acquire collect and keep these items, steeped in history, mystery and intrigue from decades gone by!

Designed and modelled by the highly collectable James Hadley, he is correctly stamped with an impressed Royal Worcester back stamp and also has the Victorian diamond shaped dating lozenge.



139 g
146 cm tall
6 x 4.5 cm base

Excellent antique condition, restoration to hat.

James Hadley (1837-1903) was apprenticed to Kerr & Binns in the 1850s and by 1870 he had become the principal modeller at the Royal Worcester Porcelain Manufactory.
In 1875, he left the firm to set up his own design studios at 95, High Street Worcester, and although not directly employed by Royal Worcester, he sold virtually all of his work to them. Highly regarded and considered by some to be the finest modeller of English porcelain ever.