Earthenware figures Maybe Dickens characters ? Any ideas ..

Thanks for taking the time to look.

This is a tough one as no markings at all.

Recent purchase of this couple, look as though they could be  Dickens characters, thought maybe Mrs Gamp or maybe the Bumbles
but not so sure now. I think they may be Dutch or maybe Austrian for no good reason other than a gut feel.

They look to be slip cast from a light terracotta or earthenware body.

They have been fully painted once but mostly worn off now.

i would guess them to be 19thC so sorry if in the wrong place.

Any thoughts on origin appreciated

My first thought was Falstaff and Mistress Quickly from The Merry Wives of Windsor. But they do have that northern European feel to them from Germany or even higher up the map. They look to be spill vases anyway to hold the tapers to light a fire. I guess that Is why the all over black colour has gone (exposure to heat on a mantle above an open fire will do that). I think mid to early 19th century is a good guess for age.