bonesspottery.co.uk - Questionable

Antique and vintage Bo'ness or Staffordshire ceramic animal figures which are difficult to identify or misattributed.

The attribution of animal figures to Bo’ness can be challenging - with the greatest potential for confusion arising between those of Bo’ness and Staffordshire manufacture.
Bo’ness figures are unmarked and do not carry a maker’s stamp.
Although some Staffordshire figures bear impressed or printed manufacturers’ marks, the majority likewise are unmarked.

Certain Bo'ness-made figures do display a British Patent Office registration number. Where present, this identifies the maker (invariably Bridgeness Pottery Ltd) and the year of registration.

Guidance comes from sources such as specialist websites, social media groups, and discussion forums where collectors share images and observations.
Occasional references to Bo’ness animal figures appear in reference books and in contemporary publications accessible through online archives.
Taken together, these sources can be informative, though their scope and reliability vary.

Further insights come from figures that appear for sale.
Online marketplaces such as eBay, along with auction catalogues, provide a continual stream of images. When identical or closely similar figures recur, these can help to build a broader picture of Bo’ness pottery production.
However, some online sellers, particularly on platforms such as eBay, may lack specialist knowledge and rely on web searches which return earlier listings. This can unintentionally perpetuate and reinforce previous misattributions.

Complicating matters further, in some instances identical or at least remarkably similar moulds appear to have been used by both Staffordshire and Bo’ness potteries over extended periods.
Where modelling alone is insufficient to confirm origin, differences in glaze, colouring, or decorative treatment may offer useful clues.

Inevitably, attribution must on occasion rest upon informed judgement rather than absolute certainty and sometimes no firm conclusion can be reached.

Of the figures listed below, some were certainly not manufactured in Bo’ness, while others lack sufficient evidence for confident attribution. Images of authentic Bo’ness-made pieces are included for comparison.

Reproduction glass-eyed ceramic Bo’ness-style cats commissioned by Falkirk Council probably around 1990.

There's no uncertainty about the origin of these two characters. They are reproduction glass-eyed ceramic Bo’ness-style cats commissioned by Falkirk Council, probably around 1990.
This commission was intended to celebrate the historical importance of the products of Bo'ness potteries to Scotland's industrial heritage.

Reproduction ceramic Bo’ness-style figures base stamped EMPRESS Staffordshire England.

The base of these figures is marked “EMPRESS Staffordshire England”.
They are to be found with amber or green glass eyes and in two sizes, 27cm and 33cm in height.
They were sold with an attached card and blurb summarising their purpose.

Folded card titled Museum Reproduction relating to a Bo'ness style glass-eyed ceramic cat.

In the image below the reproduction figures can be directly compared with the genuine articles.
The authentic figures, and the larger of the reproductions share similar proportions, measuring approximately 32-33cm in height.

Of course a glance at the base removes any doubt - the originals are unmarked while the reproductions are stamped "EMPRESS".
The more modern versions are slip-cast, and while their colouring may be a reasonable match to the originals, there are differences.
Closer inspection of the Bo'ness figures reveals a visually grainier aerographed finish, especially in gradients. The early aerographs were mechanically crude by modern standards.
By contrast, the reproductions exhibit a more uniform application lacking the variability of the authentic pieces.

Bo'ness Bridgeness pottery original antique glass-eyed cats compared with vintage reproductions.

The glass eyes of the modern figures are slightly larger and more vivid in colour, resulting in a heightened comic expression.
The authentic cats may perhaps be considered the kitsch figures of their era, but these reproductions have somehow contrived to out-kitsch them!
You'll find that the reproductions can be purchased at modest prices, whereas genuine Bo'ness glass-eyed cats, certainly as a matching pair, are significantly more expensive to acquire.

Ceramic Pekingese dogs may be described as Staffordshire or Bo'ness - and frequently incorrectly.
On occasion they are listed online as Staffordshire-style Bo'nesss.
The following are of authentic Bo'ness manufacture.
Often they carry the The Patent Office number 542671 showing they were registered by Bridgeness Pottery in 1909 - although not every Bo'ness Pekingese figure features that numbered lozenge.
The colour is frequently of a warm-toned honey or amber hue, synonymous with Bo'ness production. The amber versions are often adorned with a blue bow. Other variations do exist, including these grey versions with painted eyes and white figures with glass eyes.

Authentic antique amber coloured Bo'ness manufactured Pekingese ceramic dogs with blue bow.

Antique Bridgeness Pottery made Pekingese dogs with a British patent office registered number 542671 on base..

Bridgeness Bo'ness antique white glass-eyed Pekingese dog.

Bridgeness pottery antique grey painted eyes Pekingese ceramic figure.

Those in the next images, distinguished by their blue bases are Staffordshire-made slip-moulded figures. Note the structure around the pour hole and clean lines of the base.
Bo'ness Pekingese figures differ significantly in their construction. They were typically produced in three distinct parts consisting of two body halves and a separate base. As a result, the joint where the two body sections meet remains visible as a seam running along the top of the figure.

Staffordshire-made slip-moulded ceramic Pekingese figures with blue bases.

Staffordshire pair of ceramic Pekingese figures.

Staffordshire pair of ceramic Pekingese figures showing underside.

Lancaster and Sons vintage or antique Staffordshire figures in the form of Pekingese dogs.

The maker of this distinctive pair was Lancaster and Sons Ltd (Hanley), Staffordshire.
That dates these figures as being manufactured between 1906 and 1941.

This final chap is an import. The maker's mark shows it to have been "Made in China" between 1906 and 1945.
It is unlikely to be mis-identified as either Bo'ness or Staffordshire, although it more closely mimics the latter.

Ceramic Pekingese figure Made-in-China between 1906 and 1945.

The underside of a Pekingese figure Made-in-China which dates between 1906 and 1945.

As has been mentioned the widespread replication of successful designs was common practise within the British pottery industry. Staffordshire and Bo'ness potteries manufactured popular and relatively affordable figures for the mass market over many decades.
A design's popularity could lead to several potteries creating very similar and sometimes almost identical figures. This trend is perhaps nowhere more evident than in the production of the leaping horse figures.

Here's a final example. This is made in Art Deco style.
It's marked "Made in England" and "The HP Co" refers to the Harvey Pottery Company, Staffordshire. That factory operated from 1900 to 1925.

Black Art Deco style figure of a leaping horse marked "Made in England, HP Co" which refers to the Harvey Pottery Company, Staffordshire.

Underside of Art Deco figure marked "Made in England, HP Co". That's the Harvey Pottery Company, Staffordshire.

⇦ Equestrian

Return to Categories ⇨