the Pipe and Tabor compendium

the Pipe and Tabor compendium

essays on the three-hole pipe
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England and Europe: decorative arts

ceramic figures, 18th century onwards

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For 200 years porcelain factories in England and Europe mass produced pipe and tabor figurines.
Designers copied each other all the time so figures from different factories often look similar. The difference may
be, for example, in the angle of the head, the width of a cloak, how the legs are crossed or a completely different
base for the figure to stand on. Starting in the mid 18th century the figures became less complex and more crude
over the decades until they seem to have stopped being manufactured in the early 1950's.

" jellies, biscuits, sugar-plumbs, and creams have long given way
to [ceramic] harlequins, gondoliers, Turks, Chinese
and shepherdesses of Saxon china"
1753, Walpole

'Cris de Paris' France
playersource Cris de Parissource
18th century
 player  
player1745-50 Cris de Parissource
player1745 Fitzwilliam Musem, Cambridge
  
player		 player drawingThe original drawing from 'The Cries of Paris'
published 1737-1746 by Edmé Bouchardon 		 
Cris de ParisCris de Paris Cris de ParisCris de Paris
stick and pipe are restored		  
Cris de Parissource

Germanysource

Cris de Parissource Cris de Parissource  
Cris de Parissource
first half 20th century playersome repairs    
Cris de Parissource Cris de Parissource Cris de Parislate 19th / early 20th century Cris de Parissource  
18th century Limoges18th century Limoges
18th century18th century France part of a musicians group
SevresSevres
1775-18001775-1800 Sevres
  
Sevres figure depicting a Provencal female player  
England
The Chelsea porcelain manufactory (established around 1743-45) was the first important porcelain manufactory in England.
1755-7 Chelsea, Pierrot
(restored pipe) 		1755 Chelsea 1755 Chelsea
(with restorations)
1760-701760 -70 pair of candlesticks,
1760-70Chelsea
 
Leeds Temple Newsam House, Leeds
 player  
playersource
     
Bow figures, tabor/bells
player1765 Bow
17751775 Bow  
playerBow

Bowsource

 Bowsource
Bow (unfinished)
19th century19th century  
unknownsource restored pipe Lincoln Museumin Lincoln Art Gallery player 1770 Bow  
Bow figures, long drum
BowBow
Bow
Bowcopy

pkayer1755-60 Bow
playerc1760 Bow
Bow

player1755-60 Bow
blue jacket
 BowBow
Bow copycopy Bow
 playercopy Bow
Bow Bow copy
 playercopy Bow
Bow
playersource playersource    
Chelsea figures with tabors
1765 Chelsea
1765 Chelsea
1760-65 Chelsea
Chelsea1758-69 Chelsea
playerChelsea
ChelseaChelsea copy
   
Derby

1800-18491800-1849 Chelsea

Chelsea Porcelain Factory - figure in Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales

"Figure of a drummer, soft-paste porcelain, standing on a small
hexagonal shaped base with gilt scroll decoration and modelled applied flowers painted in purple and orange, the figure is standing playing
a flute with his left hand and the drum with the other (drumstick is
missing), with the puce, orange and green drum carried on his left side, wearing blue shoes with puce flower detail, knee length breeches
with floral pattern in gilt, puce coat with red trim, and a green hat,
to the rear of the figure is stump like support and light bocage
with applied
flowers painted in red"

[no image 2024]

Derby figures, pattern around 1765
The pair (woman plays the triangle) named 'Idyllic Musicians'; number 311 in Derby's factory list.
player Derby
late 18th centurylate 18th century Derby playersource Derbysource
player1790 Derby (restored)
 
Bowsource  
Derbysource playerDerby
Derbyearly 19th century

playerDerby, late 18th century
Derbysource early 19th century
playersource early 19th century
 Derbysource
player
 source
Derby
 Derby
Derbysource c.1835
 
18301830 Bloor Derby
 playersource
late 18th centurylate 18th century Derby
 Derby
Derby
 Derbysource
Derbysource orange hat
Derbysource
 
Derbysource Derbysource    
Staffordshire1750 Longton Hall, Staffordshire
British Museum
PearlwareStaffordshire Pearlware      
France - figures with long drums
ceramic statuette
18901890 MARX EUGENE CLAUSS, Paris
pipe and tabor
blue jacket
blue jacket
player
ceramic figure
Cris de Paris 33Cris de Paris
between 1920 and 1945
player
German figures
player
 player
player
playersource
player

orange drum

 taborer  
playerplayer black jacketsource player taborer  
MeissenVictorian Meissen
broken figureGermany
© Image Archive Photo Marburg

1751-1800 Strassburg, Germany

Standing musician with a tricorne hat, a large cylindrical drum (narrow radius, high frame)
hanging over his right arm (suspension damaged), which he hits with a large mallet in his left hand.
 He plays a galoubet or a one-handed flute
(the lower part broken off).


Strassburg Porcelain Manufactory / Frankenthal Porcelain Manufactory

  
1860's1860's Meissen, to pattern of 1754
19871987 Meissen, to pattern of 1754    
purple bows
 player childsource playerplayer  
childsource Meissensource pipe and tabor
French figures
MarsaillesMarseilless earthenware
1760-65 Mennecy, V&A Museum (missing pipe?)
17601760 Mennecy
 MennecyMennecy Mennecy20th century Provence  
English figures  
unknown1770-75
c.1770c.1770 Plymouth
1770 Plymouth
   
child1790 Staffordshire Pearlware unknownBurslem, Staffordshire
pipe missing		 18th century    
17901790 Ralph Wood 1830c. 1830 child    
1950's or 1960's1950's or 1960's modelled
on Kenworthy Schofield
country not known
20th century
20th century
 childsource source
unknown
source playersource
player20th century,
broken pipe and drumstick
red shoes
child
child player
player   lady playerfemale child  
  childsource Germany 20th century Volkstedt, Germany  
Provencal
 18th century style
angel
These 4 French figures are one-offs from here. Each piece is a unique model made without a mold.
 

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©an on-going project with lots more to add Last modified 11 January, 2026