Antique English Staffordshire Pottery Cat Figure, C. 1840–1870

Details

Description

An antique English Staffordshire cat figure seated upright with an alert posture and gently expressive features. The figure is hand-painted … Read more An antique English Staffordshire cat figure seated upright with an alert posture and gently expressive features. The figure is hand-painted in ochre and black over a creamy white ground, with green paint to the integral base. The design and delicately painted facial details are typical of mid-19th-century Staffordshire animal figures. The glaze is glossy and uneven, with natural firing variation and light pooling in recessed areas consistent with early earthenware production. Small in scale and originally intended for mantel or shelf display, this figure has strong decorative presence and the quiet charm associated with English folk pottery of the early Victorian period.

JUNE'S THOUGHTS
There’s something quietly charming about this little cat—alert, composed, and clearly meant to be noticed without demanding attention. It’s the kind of object that works just as naturally on a bookshelf or mantel as it does tucked into a layered vignette, adding character without adding character without tipping into sentimentality.

COLLECTOR'S NOTE
Small Staffordshire animal figures were produced in England during the mid-19th century for domestic display. The hand-applied sponged spotting and variable glaze surface reflect early, hand-finished earthenware practice prior to later Victorian standardization. The vent hole to the underside indicates hollow construction, a common manufacturing feature of period Staffordshire pottery and consistent with an early Victorian date.

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