NEW NEVER SOLD The Gentle Arts The Gentle Arts Collection For the aristocracy, 18th century England was a golden age of leisure and pleasure. Among ladies of quality, artistic expression flourished in gentle pursuits such as needlework, painting, flower-arranging and writing. Two centuries later, Royal Doulton recaptured the elegant and refined pastimes of these long-gone days in the Gentle Arts collection. Peggy Davies launched the collection in 1984 with her study of Spinning before retiring from Royal Doulton and handing over the mantle to Pauline Parsons. Don Brindley also made his Doulton debut with Flower Arranging in 1988. The ladies’ gowns are all exquisitely painted with garlands of flowers or stylish stripes and the?soft satin glaze suggests the whisper of rich silks and luxurious velvets. The intricately crafted details also add to the delight of these romantic portraits. Note the tiny hand-made petals in the basket and vase of Flower Arranging and the little lap dog in Writing. The letter was written by Jane Austen and it can be read with the aid of magnifying glass. Each beautiful bone china figurine is accompanied with an ornate art-bronze accessory, such as a tapestry frame and a writing desk, and they are mounted on walnut plinths. The cheval glass used in Adornment was a new departure for Doulton as the mirror allows various ways of displaying a figurine in all her glory. Only 750 of each Gentle Arts figurine was launched world-wide during the 1980s so it is now a very sought after collection.