Royal Doulton Figurine Genie HN2989

Royal Doulton Genie HN2989 was modelled by Robert Tabbenor, one of Royal Doulton's most versatile sculptors of the modern era. Tabbenor had a gift for figurines with theatrical energy and three-dimensional drama, and the Genie gave him full licence to exercise it. Rather than the graceful repose of the Pretty Ladies tradition, this is a figurine built around movement and magic — a subject drawn straight from the world of Arabian Nights.

Standing nearly 9¾ inches tall, the Genie rises dramatically from his oil lamp in billowing robes of deep cobalt blue and rich turquoise, his arms outstretched in a commanding gesture of supernatural emergence. The lamp itself forms the base, rendered in warm gilt tones, with the figure's lower form dissolving into a swirl of smoke as he materializes above it. The painting is characteristically detailed — Royal Doulton's decorators gave this piece the full treatment, with lustrous glazes that give the robes genuine depth and luminosity.

The Genie HN2989 was produced from 1983 to 1990, a seven-year run that came to an end just as the piece was gaining recognition among collectors. Royal Doulton subsequently issued a Flambe colourway version as HN2999 — a distinction typically reserved for figurines considered worthy of the prestige Flambe treatment — which speaks directly to the esteem in which the original was held. The standard HN2989 colourway is now the scarcer of the two and is actively sought by collectors who specialize in character and fantasy subjects.

This figurine is offered in excellent condition and is packed with care using double-box technique with professional-grade materials. We ship worldwide.