This is a collectable pair of antique Staffordshire pottery birds - which would probably be used as chimney place ornaments or decorations.
They are a genuine matching pair (one is slightly taller as it represents a larger male bird). Both birds are in good condition. The pair dates to around the 1860s.
This is the second pair of these birds that I have in my store.
They are possibly Male Willow Ptarmigan in their winter plumage. The Ptarmigan is noted for the red plumage around its eye. And they are often seen on rocky banks covered in rough foliage.
DIMENSIONS: The height: 9 1/2 inches (24 cm). Width is 4 1/2 inches (11.5 cm) Depth is 2 3/4 inches (7 cm). The taller male bird is 9 3/4 inches (25 cm).
Condition - they are in good antique condition with no nasty chips or cracks. There is a little fine firing crack along the mould joint (on the neck) of the female bird. This is stable and occurred in the firing of the pair. I have photographed this area for your inspection.
I love their black-painted spindly feet. The wing feathers of each bird are well modelled and have great detail to them, as photographed. They have nice touches of gilding on the feathers and chest section.
They are a nice size for a modern domestic interior. They are certainly harder to find figures and have more three-dimensional modelling to them. You could think of them as a pair of love birds!
These are genuine Victorian examples and NOT later copies or reproductions. They are antique pieces and are priced and sold as such.
The pair with be about £10 to post to you with either Royal Mail or Parcelforce insured and tracked.