Royal Doulton Figurine Broken Lance HN2041

The Broken Lance (HN2041) was designed by Peggy Davies and produced by Royal Doulton from 1949 to 1975. Standing 8.75 inches (22 cm) tall and nearly as wide, this commanding equestrian figure is part of the Men of History series and represents one of the most technically demanding and visually spectacular pieces in the entire Peggy Davies catalogue.

The figure depicts a medieval knight astride a white horse, the animal caparisoned in an intricately hand-painted blanket of deep blue and red with rich yellow detailing, the knight himself in full armour holding the shaft of his broken lance — the aftermath of the joust frozen in a moment of composed defeat. The composition requires the modeller to achieve structural balance across horse, rider, and extended lance simultaneously, a challenge that places this piece in an entirely different category of craft from the standing ladies and child figures that make up the bulk of the HN series.

Peggy Davies herself considered ambitious equestrian and armoured pieces like this among her finest work — a sentiment born out by the technical achievement on display here. The Men of History series was intended to demonstrate the full range of Royal Doulton's prestige figurine capability, and The Broken Lance more than fulfils that brief: it is a museum-quality piece in conception and execution, with hand-painted detail extending across every surface of horse, blanket, armour, and base.

With a 26-year production run this is not a scarce piece, but examples in genuinely clean condition — particularly with the lance intact — are considerably harder to find than the market might suggest. Equestrian collectors, Peggy Davies specialists, and anyone drawn to the prestige end of the HN series will all recognise the quality here immediately. Fully insured shipping across Canada with tracking.