{"product_id":"royal-doulton-figurine-beggar-hn2175","title":"Royal Doulton Figurine Beggar HN2175","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eBeggar (HN2175) was designed by Leslie Harradine and produced by Royal Doulton from 1956 to 1962. Standing 7 inches (18 cm) tall, this commanding character figure belongs to the Beggar's Opera series — Royal Doulton's tribute to one of the most celebrated and subversive works in British theatrical history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe figure depicts an older barefoot man in the ragged costume of an 18th-century street mendicant: a dark blue tattered overcoat worn over a white shirt, olive green slacks, an orange waistband, and a battered black hat. The hand-painting conveys the deliberate dishevelment of the character with precision — frayed edges, worn fabric, the studied poverty of a man who is more than he appears — and Harradine brings his characteristic life and dignity to a subject that lesser artists would have rendered merely pitiable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe figure draws its identity from John Gay's \u003cem\u003eThe Beggar's Opera\u003c\/em\u003e, the satirical ballad opera first performed in London in 1728 and widely understood as a pointed attack on political corruption, with its highwaymen and pickpockets standing in for the ruling classes. Gay's Beggar is believed to represent the author himself — a frame narrator who winks at the audience while the chaos unfolds around him. The piece enjoyed a legendary revival in 1920 at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, running for 1,463 performances, one of the longest theatrical runs in British history at that time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eWith a production window of just six years, HN2175 is among the scarcer pieces in the Beggar's Opera series and rarely appears in clean, first-quality condition. Collectors of Harradine character figures, theatrical subjects, and 18th-century literary references will all find this a compelling addition. Fully insured shipping across Canada with tracking.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Cross","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41545062449285,"sku":null,"price":185.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0310\/4050\/3941\/files\/batch_IMG_8042.jpg?v=1773259580","url":"https:\/\/william-cross.com\/products\/royal-doulton-figurine-beggar-hn2175","provider":"William Cross","version":"1.0","type":"link"}