Royal Doulton | Fair Lady | HN2193 | Porcelain Figure | 1963–1996

There is a particular accomplishment in a figure that conveys movement through stillness — the skirt caught mid-turn, the gaze downward, the whole pose suspended at exactly the right moment.

"Fair Lady" is one of the most enduring and widely recognised models in the Royal Doulton HN series, introduced in 1963 and remaining in continuous production for over three decades. The figure was modelled by Mary Nicoll, one of the most significant of the Doulton figure modellers of the mid-twentieth century, whose work combined technical assurance with a lightness of composition that distinguished her lady figures from the more mannered productions of earlier periods. The model was issued in multiple colourways across its production life, each assigned a separate HN number. HN2193, the pale green colourway, is the original and primary version, and for many collectors the definitive one. The figure depicts a standing woman in eighteenth-century dress, her gown caught in gentle movement, and represents the Royal Doulton lady figure at its most refined and commercially considered.

The figure depicts a standing young woman in a full-length gown of pale celadon green, the skirt swept to one side and caught mid-movement, revealing a white underskirt with a scalloped hem. The bodice is fitted in a deeper sage green with a wide, off-the-shoulder neckline. The sleeves are full and long. The right hand holds the gathered skirt; the left arm falls naturally at the side. The hair is dressed up in a warm honey-blonde tone, the face modelled with a downward, composed expression. The glaze throughout is smooth and even, with the characteristic soft lustre of Royal Doulton's mid-to-late twentieth century figure production.

There are no chips, cracks, crazing or restoration. The figure is in mint condition throughout, with all painted decoration and glaze fully intact.

Key Details

• Maker: Royal Doulton
• Figure Name: Fair Lady
• HN Number: HN2193
• Colourway: Pale green
• Modeller: Mary Nicoll
• Material: Porcelain
• Production Period: 1963–1996
• Condition: Mint

A figure that remained in production for thirty-three years earned that tenure — not through novelty, but through the kind of quiet rightness that does not date.