Staffordshire chimney dog - Porcelain - United Kingdom - 19th century

Staffordshire chimney dog - Porcelain - United Kingdom - 19th century

19th century, hand-painted Staffordshire spaniel chimney dog in black and white polychrome porcelain with typical gold collar.

Staffordshire dogs are images of spaniel dogs standing guard. They could be found in 19th-century British (but also often Dutch) houses. They were mainly made in potteries in Staffordshire and were also called hearth spaniel dogs or fireplace dogs because they were placed on mantelpieces.

The statues were a typical Victorian bourgeois ornamental status symbol: no mantelpiece was complete without a few spaniels standing guard. The dogs were also placed on the windowsill. The quality of the models and paintwork of the Staffordshire dogs varies. Towards the end of the 19th century, the figures increased in popularity.

Thousands were produced, but originals in good condition are rare to find these days. The figures were made until the 1920s and the earlier models were of better quality. Because the spaniels were hand-painted, all the figures differed from each other. The dogs were also called whore dogs. They would have been on prostitutes' windowsills in England.

Status report: in good condition
Dimensions: 21.5x10x14.5cm
Weight: 0.8kg

These items are shipped via the official Belgian postal service BPost with track and trace and insurance in case of breakage or loss during transport, included in the shipping price.