Delmas is an obscure Russian maker from the 19th century. There is no trace of the Delmas factory online. There is only one short entry in a Russian book with an illustration of of a hand printed DELMAS mark. The group of figures shown here have two other Delmas marks. One mark is a stamped “DELMAS G. A. Edit” and the other a handwritten “Delmas” with the date 1856. These are depictions of Russian peasants. The subject matter is very Russian in character. The Delmas name does not seem to be attached to any other porcelain maker. This Delmas must be the same one noted in the book.
These five are all the Delmas figures I have ever seen. With the names I have given them and notation of marks, they are:
The Conscript/Sailor 86 DELMAS G. A. Edit
The Chambermaid (unmarked)
The Laundryman Delmas,1856
The Cobbler 131 DELMAS G. A. Edit
The Drunk’s Wife 16 Delmas,1856
The Conscript/Sailor was an unsolved mystery until I came across the reference in the Russian book. The other figures followed one or two at a time.
Look closely at the Chambermaid and you see the contents of the chamber pot spilling over. The excrement and urine are enamel painted.
Look in the basket the Laundryman has on his back and you see it is filled with enamelled dirty laundry and urine stained sheets.
The dirt on the Cobbler, like the Laundryman and Chambermaid, is enamelled on. They are supposed to be that way.
The Drunk’s Wife is so called because of her manner and the man’s hat she is carrying. I have seen this theme in other Russian figures. Her mate will be staggering with a bottle or falling down drunk.
Delmas figures are not about technical excellence. They are something more gritty and expressive. Delmas has edge to it. Where other Russian makers of the 19th century tended to make idealized representations of peasant life, Delmas shows them as dirty, downtrodden and conscripted.
If I am right about 16, 86 and 131 being model numbers, it would mean there could be many more of these out there. Will keep looking.
