Masque HN2554, Royal Doulton Figurine

Masque (HN2554, Style Two) was designed by Douglas V. Tootle and issued by Royal Doulton from 1975 to 1982, standing 8.5 inches tall as part of the Dance Theme series. The figure presents an elegantly dressed woman in a rich blue gown, holding a masquerade mask — poised at the threshold of a ball, her identity suspended between revelation and concealment in that most theatrical of social rituals.

Tootle brought a confident, sculptural quality to the Dance Theme series, and Masque is among his most evocative subjects. The blue gown is rendered with characteristic Royal Doulton depth, the fabric falling in sweeping lines that suggest both movement and restraint. The mask held in hand rather than raised to the face gives the figure a particular psychological charge — she is choosing whether to conceal herself, not already hidden.

The two versions of Masque are distinguished by the hand position, with the second version offering a more direct engagement with the mask as object. Both are collected, but the second style's seven-year run gives it slightly greater availability than its predecessor. Clean examples in the characteristic blue colourway remain the benchmark for the piece and hold their appeal firmly within the Dance Theme collecting community.