While I cannot identify your figurine, Iāll leave these thoughts with you.
The subject matter and styling of āpeasantā figurines like this are not a reliable indicator of their origin. Most of the unmarked pieces were made in Japan or Taiwan for export to the West.
The legal requirements for country of origin marking (as imposed by the McKinley Tariff Act in the US from 1891 onwards) could be fulfilled by applying an adhesive foil label with the required information such that the piece itself didnāt need to be marked. Sometimes those foil labels would have the name of the agent or retailer who had commissioned the pieces to enhance their desirability, and sometimes not. In any case, the labels can be subsequently removed, leaving the piece anonymous.
These entrepreneurs would commission pieces in western styles, often providing the mould-makers with European pieces which they wanted copiedā¦ most usually āin the style ofā¦ā rather than exact copies. Typically the figurines are romanticised depictions of wizened old folk in pinafores or overcoats (plus perm any combination of: walking sticks, brooms, farm tools, logs, shopping baskets, loaves of bread etc); or young gentry in crinolines and frock coats (plus perm any combination of: flower posies, kittens, puppies, picnic baskets, swords etc). The commercial benefit was the low cost production versus sources in Europe and cheaper still in soft-paste rather than true hard-paste porcelain.
If you Google for figurines by companies such as Wales (of Japan), Ardco, Ardalt, UCGC, Norleans, Napco (to name but a few of the larger operations) you will see dozens and dozens of pieces in European stylingsā¦ but all made in the Far East. The smaller and less prestigious the maker, the less likely the pieces are to be markedā¦ other than by a foil label which may no longer be present. I see a faint outline below the mould marks which is where a foil label once might have been.
It could be European, but I doubt it. Without a factory mark or a label, it may remain a mystery.
Hi Roger
Again many thanks for your opinion and information,you may be right,these things are always a mystery until we come across other information,such as the missing labels or some other evidence.
Very bored at the moment here in Melbourne ,Australia ,we have been in lock down for the last 6weeks,2weeks to go at least,not much fun also 5klm limit.