Pair of Staffordshire thick fireplace dogs hand painted in black and white polychrome porcelain with typical gold collar.
Staffordshire dogs are pictures of spaniel dogs standing guard. They were found in 19th-century British (but often Dutch) houses. They were mainly made in pottery from Staffordshire and were also called hearth spaniels or chimney dogs as they were placed on the chimneys.
The statues were a symbol of ornamental status typical of the Victorian bourgeoisie: no fireplace was complete without a few spaniels standing guard. The dogs were also placed on the windowsill. The quality of the models and painting of Staffordshire dogs varied. Towards the end of the 19th century, these characters gained popularity.
Thousands of copies have been produced, but the originals in good condition are rare to find nowadays. The figures were made until the 1920s and earlier models were of better quality. Because the spaniels were hand-painted, all the figures differed. Dogs were also called whore dogs. They would have been on the window sills of prostitutes in England.
Height: 23 cm
United Kingdom
19th century
