Royal Doulton | 'Special Occasion' | HN 4100 | Nada Pedley | Bone China Figure | 1999

Royal Doulton | ‘Special Occasion’ | HN 4100 | Nada Pedley | Bone China Figure | 1999

Dressed for the evening, she pauses to gather her skirt before stepping out.

‘Special Occasion’, HN 4100, was modelled by Nada M. Pedley for Royal Doulton and produced between 1998 and 2002. This example bears the top-hat year cypher for 1999, which records its year of manufacture; the 1998 date printed beneath the maker's mark is the design copyright.

She wears a deep red evening gown with a fitted, pointed bodice and a full, flowing overskirt. A pale, lace-effect bolero is edged in pink, and the scalloped neckline and gathered folds of the dress give the figure its silhouette. With one hand she lifts the skirt to reveal a pale pink-and-white underskirt; in the other she carries a small pink handbag. Warm yellow-orange ornament follows the sweeping hem of the gown. Her dark brown hair falls in loose waves, with small blue earrings.

The base bears the Royal Doulton lion-and-crown backstamp, "Hand made and hand decorated", the figure's name and HN 4100, "Modelled by" with Nada M. Pedley's facsimile signature, "© 1998 Royal Doulton", the top-hat year cypher and the decorator's painted initials.

The figure is in excellent condition and is offered without a box.

Key Details

• Maker: Royal Doulton, England
• Model: ‘Special Occasion’, HN 4100
• Modeller: Nada M. Pedley
• Marks: Royal Doulton lion-and-crown backstamp; "Made in England", "Bone China", "Hand made and hand decorated"; "HN 4100", "Special Occasion"; "Modelled by Nada M. Pedley" (facsimile signature); "© 1998 Royal Doulton"; top-hat year cypher (1999); decorator's initials
• Material: hand-decorated bone china
• Date: made in 1999 (year cypher); produced 1998–2002
• Dimensions: height 20.5 cm
• Weight: 578 g
• Included: figure only; no box
• Condition: excellent
• Buyer profile: collectors of Royal Doulton lady figures and Nada Pedley designs, and anyone looking for a figure in rich red as a gift

Collector Appeal

‘Special Occasion’ belongs to Royal Doulton’s later tradition of decorative lady figures, with a contemporary evening gown in place of the historical dress of many earlier models. Its deep red colouring, contrasting pale underskirt and carefully modelled folds make it a distinctive example of Nada Pedley’s work. The 1999 year cypher adds a further point of interest for collectors.

A gown made for one evening, fired to last a great many.