Everywhere I went, I kept seeing these ceramic dogs, their faces turned sideways, with black noses and a fixed stare. First at one auction house, then at another.
I saw the latest as I was doing a walk-through at the second auction house. It looked like a puppy, white with large black spots, sitting on a table among a mix of other disparate items. I noticed but didn’t notice it, and moved on. I later watched as an auction-house staffer moved a pair of dog lamps to a table upfront. Click on photo below for a full view of the lamps.
The dogs’ posture reminded me of the stance people take to mock the wave of the Queen: their faces poised, their hands slicing the air in a smooth wave. I was waiting for these dogs to raise a paw.
What the heck were they called?
I kept watch over the lamps so I could hear the auctioneer call out their pedigree. Staffordshire dogs. I was familiar with the name Staffordshire as the British county known for its wonderful pottery, but I didn’t know about the dogs.
They apparently were pretty popular at one time, and are very collectible now. Maybe that’s why they seemed to be appearing so often at auction or I was beginning to notice them more. Intrigued, I wanted to find out more about them.
The pottery dogs was made from around the 1840s to the end for the 19th century in factories in Staffordshire, according to several websites. They were sold to working-class families who placed them on mantles in their homes for decoration. This British area was also known as “the Potteries,” notable for its production of ceramic pottery, especially in the 18th century.
All the dogs were made by hand (some even by children working in factories) and are pretty recognizable. The factories made more than spaniels, although that breed was the most common. One book said that there were 200 models of dogs representing 33 breeds, including greyhound, maltese, poodle, pug, Dalmatian and sheep dog.
The factories didn’t just turn out dogs. They made figurines of people, people with dogs, other animals – including lions and zebras – pitchers, money boxes, watch holders and dog clocks. I’ve never seem (or recognized) any of these at auction yet.
The dogs were modeled after the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, which were named after King Charles II of England who loved his little dogs – they are called “toy dogs” – so much that they roamed around his court quite freely, according to antiques collector Bob Brooke writing on the Georgia Antiques Online website. They became enshrined as ceramic figurines during the reign of Queen Victoria, who made them popular through her own spaniel.
I found some dogs and other pieces on the web that were stunning in their workmanship. Take a look here and here and here. They’re not my kind of figurines but I appreciate the look of them.
The dogs are not marked, so it’s hard to determine whether a piece is authentic or not. Several sites warned collectors about fakes and reproductions.
If you’re unfamiliar with the dogs and want to pick up an authentic one – which isn’t going to be cheap; the one at auction sold for $180 and some prices were in the thousands of dollars on the web – start with a guide book. One thing to know is that original dogs do not have a vent hole. Another thing: They have a seam line along the side (later ones were made in one piece in a slip-cast method). Here are some other tips.
If you don’t care about authenticity, choose a well-made reproduction. But why go with a fake when you might be able to get the real deal at auction for the same price.
I’m not sure if the ones I saw at auction were real or fake. But now I have a good idea of how to tell the difference.
