Antique Staffordshire Sieved Clay Confetti Poodles (Pair + 1)  Excellent

Description

This listing is for a
pair plus one (3 total) of Antique 19
th
Century Staffordshire Sieved Clay Confetti Poodle Figurines
. The pair were made in Staffordshire England c. 1850.
They measure approximately 6” high, 4” wide (measured across bottom including legs) and 3”deep (measured across rear of dog) and are in
excellent condition
.
There is no crazing, chipping or restoration.
The front legs of the dogs are separated from the body, a rarity given the difficulty of removing the figures from the press molds and kiln without breaking the legs.
The facial features are sweet and the golden brown eyes and black muzzle are clear and without flaking.
The soft gilded collars and lockets (or padlocks) are also without flaws other than minute flaking on the locket of one of the dogs.
The poodle coats are made of sieved clay, clay pushed through a sieve to create spaghetti-like pieces, that was applied by hand to the dog’s body, ears and tail to simulate a poodle’s curly coat.
There are areas of wear on the coats (photographed).
Indicative of the handmade nature of these figurines are a few tiny flecks of sieved clay that fell to the underside of the dogs before firing.  The paws are painted a soft green and the toes demarcated
with black marks.
The base of the poodles contains a raised “2 ½” figure and a 3/16” firing hole.
The hole allowed gases to escape from the hollow interior when fired.
The beautiful condition of these dogs shows the care they received.
Research indicates that the pair is shown on page 139 of Clive Mason Pope’s book “A - Z of Staffordshire Dogs.
A Potted History.”
Included as a FREE BONUS
is a
small Staffordshire Sieved Clay Confetti Poodle
of the same vintage that measures 3.5” high, 2.25” wide and 1.5”deep.
The sieved clay coat has areas of wear and there is crazing on the body.
A smaller firing hole (approximately 1/16”) is located on the base.
The facial features are kindly and there is a soft gilded collar.
It apparently suffered a broken snout that was reattached with the break only being noticeable upon close inspection.
I include this sweet figurine as displaying a group of these dogs has unique appeal.
I have many more photographs of the figurines that are available upon request.