Sebastian & Wade Figures

THREE SMALL VINTAGE FIGURINES - SEBASTIAN MINIATURES "FARMER'S WIFE" 1947 P.W. BASTON, WADE NURSERY RHYME BOY, AND A PAINTED CAST METAL HORSE Three small collectible figures. The first is a hand-painted Sebastian Miniature of a seated woman in a long apron dress shelling or sorting red berries into a bowl, with a chicken and a black shoe at her feet, on an oval base painted white with a green grass patch. The back of the bench is impressed "FARMER'S WIFE" and the base edge is impressed "COPR. 1947 P.W. BASTON." The underside is plain white with no paper label present, so any foil studio label it once carried is gone. The second is a small glazed porcelain seated boy in a smock holding a pie with a blue plum, in soft honey-brown and cream tones; the consignor identifies this as Wade "Jack Horner," and a handwritten shop price sticker on the underside reads "Wade Jack Horner 15.00." No Wade backstamp is legible in the photographs. The third is a small standing horse or pony in painted cast metal, cream-white with brown shading, molded mane, tail, forelock, and a suggestion of a halter. Flaws include heavy overall paint wear, scattered rubbing and chipping to bare metal on the horse with dark speckling and grubby soiling; light soiling, paint rubbing, and dulling to the Sebastian piece; and the Wade figure carries a taped-on adhesive price sticker that may lift glaze or leave residue if removed. UNTESTED - the metal of the horse has not been tested and may be lead or another soft alloy, and no repairs or restoration examination has been performed on any piece. Sold as a lot of three figures. Description Sebastian Miniature: seated farm woman with bowl of red berries, chicken, and shoe on an oval base, hand-painted, approximately 2 3/4 in tall with a base approximately 2 in across (estimate) Wade-type figure: glazed porcelain seated boy with pie, honey-brown and cream, approximately 1 3/4 to 2 in tall (estimate) Cast metal horse: standing pony, painted cream-white with brown shading, approximately 2 1/2 in long by approximately 2 in tall (estimate) Construction/Finish: Sebastian in the plaster-type cast material with hand-painted decoration; Wade-type piece glazed porcelain; horse solid painted cast metal with no base Marks: impressed "FARMER'S WIFE" and "COPR. 1947 P.W. BASTON" on the Sebastian; a handwritten paper sticker reading "Wade Jack Horner 15.00" on the porcelain boy; no maker mark visible on the horse, so none is claimed Size: estimated per piece above - no tape-measure photograph was included in this batch, so measurements should be confirmed before bidding Attribution note Sebastian Miniatures were begun by Prescott W. Baston in Arlington, Massachusetts in 1938; the studio moved to Marblehead in 1946 and stayed there until the mid-1970s, after which production moved to Hudson in cooperation with the Lance Corporation, and later to Wayland. Every Sebastian carries a copyright date on the base marking when the design was created, not necessarily when the individual piece was cast, and Marblehead-era pieces originally carried a green or silver foil label reading that it was designed by Prescott W. Baston of Marblehead, Mass. - labels that were very commonly lost, as appears to be the case here. Reference sources including Kovels, the Sebastian Miniatures collector site, and the Marblehead Historical Commission describe the line, and "Farmer's Wife" with a 1947 copyright is a documented design that turns up regularly in the secondary market. Wade Ceramics of Staffordshire produced small solid porcelain Whimsies from the mid-1950s onward, and its Nursery Rhyme series, including Little Jack Horner, was issued through the 1970s, much of it distributed in North America as Red Rose Tea premiums. The Wade identification here follows the consignor's photo-based opinion and the old shop sticker rather than a visible backstamp. The small painted cast metal horse is of a common mid-century farm and toy animal type and no maker, country, or date can be established for it. All period, maker, and origin comments are offered as the consignor's photo-based opinion and are not guaranteed. Bid on the item(s) as pictured. Notes for bidders The Sebastian is a cast plaster-type material - never wash, soak, or dampen it, dust it dry with a soft brush only, and keep it out of humid storage. Leave the missing-label underside alone rather than trying to clean it, since sticker ghosts and label remnants help authenticate these. The Wade-type porcelain can be wiped with a barely damp cloth, but the old paper sticker should be left in place or removed only slowly and dry by a buyer willing to accept the risk of glaze pull. Do not repaint or touch up the horse; because the alloy is untested and small painted metal figures of this era often contain lead in both the metal and the paint, keep it away from children, do not use it around food, and wash hands after handling. Only the item(s) pictured are included in this lo