Description
This figure is a pearlware glazed and enamel-colored group produced by the Staffordshire potters to commemorate the notorious murder of Maria Martin by William Corder at the RED BARN in Polstead, Suffolk, in 1827. The figure comprises ‘The Red Barn,’ the thatched building flanked by bocage. William Corder stands by the open door, beckoning Maria Marten to join him inside, a lamb and a chicken in the farmyard before them. This pottery version is one of the rarest of its type and is inscribed Red Barn in script on the base—a charming and decorative figure with a gruesome and compelling story. The ghoulish nature of the event fascinated the public and became a theme for plays and songs of the period.