Doggies in the Window

by Lainie Wrightson

Title

Doggies in the Window

Artist

Lainie Wrightson

Medium

Photograph - Photography-digital

Description

Staffordshire China Dogs line the windows of this lovely house in Bourton-On-The-Water, Cotswolds, UK
"The Inspiration - What dog inspired the figurines? Staffordshire potters modeled their figures after dogs known as Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, named for King Charles II of England who was constantly surrounded by these merry little dogs and gave them free run at court. His opponents accused the King of "Playing with his dogs all the while, and not minding his business." Lord Rochester made this poetic observation, "His very dog at Council Board, sits grave and wise as any Lord."

Charles's brother and successor, James II, also loved the little spaniels. When forced to abandon ship, he ordered "Save the dogs!" and after a moment of reflection added, "and Colonel Churchill."

Colonel Churchill later became the Duke of Marlborough, as well as a breeder of the little spaniels. Churchill developed the strain of Cavalier Spaniels that are white with chestnut patches called the Blenheim. Blenheims sometimes have a much coveted chestnut spot on the top of their heads. While Churchill was in Europe fighting the Battle of Blenheim, his wife was at home nervously waiting to hear the outcome. She found comfort by holding one of their spaniels that was soon to have puppies. As she stroked the dog, her thumb was frequently pressed on it's head. Her dog had five pups, each with a spot resembling a red thumb print on the top of its head. The mark became known as the Blenheim spot. Churchill won the battle of Blenheim and was rewarded with a great house called Blenheim Palace.

It was Queen Victoria that brought the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel to prominence. And it was her love for her own spaniels that attracted the attention of Staffordshire potters in the mid-19th century. Her beloved companion "Dash" became famous and the subject of many artists. On the day of her coronation, she hurried back to Buckingham Palace to perform an important duty. She gathered her skirts and ran up to her room to give Dash his bath.

While many collectors think the potteries only produced spaniels, they, in fact, produced other types of dogs, among them Dalmatians, the rarest of all. Some potters mounted their Dalmatian figures on blue bases. They also produced detailed poodles, as well as pugs, pointers, foxhounds, sheepdogs, staghounds, setters, harriers and greyhounds. Staffordshire dogs appear most commonly in left/right pairs, but sometimes potters included a center figure. Over time the detailing changed and Victorian potters in Staffordshire engaged in less detailed modeling of their figures." - this history quoted from theantiquesalmanac.com/thosecharmingstaffordshiredogs.htm.

Uploaded

July 13th, 2016

Statistics

Viewed 234 Times  -  Last Visitor from Beverly Hills, CA on 04/10/2024 at 5:37 AM

Colors

Embed

Share

Sales Sheet

Tags