Dear Queen Victoria's Oldest Children Riding Goats

THE STORY - Now this is not the first time I have what I term 'kids on goats' in my shop, there is a reason for that and that is simply that I love them, but although I have seen others before acquiring this pair, they have not had what I was looking for and that is character in those hand painted faces. The figurines although not marked are from one of the Staffordshire potteries and indeed it is widely believed that they are the oldest children of Queen Victoria, The Princess Royal (Victoria 1840-1891) and The Prince of Wales (Prince Albert 1841-1910) and the combination of children and goats were if you were fortunate enough not that unusual as goats were often used to pull young children around in little carriages. From the age of the children depicted I would imagine these figurines would date to circa 1855. But as I have said it was faces of both the children and those rather large goats that I loved and the detail of the clothes of the children, the matching painting of the feathers in their hats , the delicate painting of the flowers on her skirt, but for me it really is the painting of the eyes they are all small, both the children and the goats have just small black dots, I am not sure why but it has pulled on my heart strings. The goats are both painted with a grey and orange wooly coat and they stand on oval bases with heather like foliage made from shredded clay which is also used wonderfully for their manes, beards and tails.

AGE - Circa 1855

CONDITION - Both the figurines are in good condition, there is however on the horns of Prince Alberts goat what looks like some very old brown glue, but I cannot see a break in the horns which I have tried to portray in the eighth and ninth photos, but it is there I wonder if there could of been a chip which the glue was used for but I am really not sure and certainly the glue is old, I would imagine the kind that was made from bones. The gilt line around the rim of the base of the Princess Royal's goat is rubbed more so than that of Prince Alberts whose figurine does seem slightly lighter in colour than the Princess Royal.

DIMENSIONS (Approx) - Height 6" / 15cm, Width 4" / 10cm, Depth 1&7/8" 4.75cm

Oh those two, the Prince and Princess riding their giant goats, I completely love the craziness of the figurines, made for me just that little bit more special because they have a relevance in history. I am pretty sure the Queen Victoria's children would of been lucky enough to have the most amazing carriage pulled by goats, just not goats as big as these. And I know I will always look out for these figurines waiting patiently for those special ones that speak to me to come along, because I love them so very much.