Ulster King of Arms, 1935 modelled on Sir Nevile Wilkinson

Educated at Harrow and Sandhurst, Sir Nevile was born in 1869 and gazetted into the Coldstream Guards in 1890. Promoted to Captain in 1896, he served in the Boer War being present at the advance on Kimberley, including the actions at Belmont, Enslin, Modder River and Magersfontein; operations in the Orange Free State, February-May 1900, including the action at Driefontein.
Thereafter Wilkinson’s interests turned ever more strongly to the decorative arts and to the art and lore of heraldry in particular. To further this interest he entered the National Art Training School (later the Royal College of Art), South Kensington. From his earliest days as a practicing artist he took a great interest in working in miniature, and as early as 1907 he conceived of a grand model palace for ‘Titania Queen of the Fairies’ on the scale of 1 inch to foot. In addition, so expert did he become in the field of heraldry, that in 1907 he was able to resign his commission in the Guards (he had attained the rank of Captain) and in 1908 was able to take up the post of Ulster King of Arms and Registrar of the Order of St. Patrick.
On the outbreak of war, Wilkinson rejoined the Army in the Reserve of Officers and served on the Staff firstly in France and then in Macedonia. For his services he received the brevet of Major, was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 13 July 1916) and was awarded the Belgian Order of Leopold 5th Class. He was the creator and architect of ‘Titania’s Palace’, a model 16-roomed house that was opened by Queen Mary in 1923 and exhibited to worldwide acclaim. Wilkinson continued his career as a decorative craftsman, and a collective exhibition of his works was held at the galleries of the Fine Arts Society in 1937. He wrote several books, including: Wilton House Pictures, Wilton House Guide, Yvette in Italy, Grey Fairy, Yvette in Venice, Yvette in Switzerland, Yvette in the U.S.A., The Guards Chapel 1838-1938 and To all and Singular. For his services to the art world, he was awarded the C.V.O. in 1911 and K.C.V.O. in 1921. He died in Dublin on 22 December 1940.

Dresden & Sitzendorf Military Porcelain Figures 


Of the numerous Continental porcelain factories, the Dresden factory stands out as the producer of the finest military figures in terms of both sculpting and painting. Production of military figures began in 1908 with a mounted figure of Napoleon (an example of which may be seen at Churchill's home, Chartwell in Kent), followed by a series of figures illustrating French uniforms of the Napoleonic era. In 1914, with 100th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo looming, Thomas Goode & Co., of Mayfair, London, commissioned a series of figures representing British regiments of Wellington's Allied army. A number of these specially marked and now rare figureswere imported from Saxony into England for retailing by Goode & Co. prior to the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914. With hostilities in progress, the Dresden factory continued production in 1915 with emphasis on the Prussian martial tradition and the German element of the Alliance against Napoleon.

 Between 1929 and 1938, Reinhold Braunschmitt, the factory's chief sculptor who had been responsible for the earlier Napoleonic figures, began modelling historical and contemporary British military figures. These new additions included a range of figures representing the uniforms of the first three regiments of British Foot Guards from 1660 to the present day and the series of Napoleon's Marshals. Production of the earlier Waterloo series continued alongside these figures, and a number of special commissions were undertaken, including figures of officers the Welsh and Irish Guards. Examples of the latter, which are no longer recorded at Dresden, have passed through the Armoury's inventory in recent years, including mounted and dismounted Life Guards in full dress uniform of circa 1930 and a possibly unique mounted figure of Edward, Prince of Wales, in hunting garb. 



 Being situated on the outskirts of the Dresden, the factory was fortunate to survive the fire bombing of the city by the R.A.F. in February 1945. Although its many valuable designs and moulds remained in tact the company was expropriated under the Communist regime and it suffered the gradual loss of its export market. Lack of direct contact with informed retailers in the U.K. and the passing of the skilled military figure painters who had worked at the factory in the heyday of the 1930's meant a general decline in the standards of production. In 1972 the business passed into state ownership and at this time a number of British military figure moulds, including those of the Guards and Waterloo series' were dispersed to the neighbouring Sitzendorf factory. Sitzendorf's output, which during the Cold War period was principally aimed at British military personnel visiting East Berlin, varied widely in quality and style of painting, in the cutting of details and fitting of accoutrements, such as sword blades, scabbards, and plumes. Today both factories retain the capacity to produce a selection of military, naval and ceremonial figures created by Braunschmitt and fellow sculptors, but as in many other fields of the applied arts these modern productions are often less successful in capturing the essence of the subject than their older counterparts.