Staffordshire Figure of Benjamin Franklin, Incorrectly Named Washington.

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This large Staffordshire pottery figure depicts an elegant standing Benjamin Franklin with the name "Washington" in gold enamel around the … Read more This large Staffordshire pottery figure depicts an elegant standing Benjamin Franklin with the name "Washington" in gold enamel around the base. According to the entry for a similar figure at the American Philosophical Society, this ceramic figurine is an adaptation of François Marie Suzanne's 1793 terracotta statuette of Benjamin Franklin.
Suzanne's statuette was frequently reproduced with variations of costume and poses.
In Staffordshire, a ceramics manufacturing center in northwest England, the statuette was misidentified as "George Washington," and the mistake was repeated.
Staffordshire experts say that figurines labeled Washington resembling the first U.S. president are extremely rare. See less