This is a really lovely antique pottery chicken or hen on a nest, lidded dish.
These chicken-shaped dishes would be used in farmhouses or cottages to store eggs in.
The hen is made from shiny white glazed pottery - and with some applied red and blush pink colours to the head and wattle. The feathers are touched up with the original highlights of gold gilding - this gilding is often much rubbed with handling over decades of use. Mummy Hen sits on the nest and on this one - the little eggs have hatched and reveal two little chicks - one on each side. The nest is shaped like a yellow woven basket, as photographed.
The base is original to the upper section and it fits together perfectly. It certainly is a fine Victorian example dating to the late 19th Century, probably about the 1880s / 1890s.
It is in fine antique condition, There are generally no nasty or disfiguring chips or cracks in the dish or chicken which affect it on show. It displays well, as you can see from my images.
CONDITION: there are little patches of light brown staining inside the basket section, as photographed (this issue is reflected in my lower asking price). The interior remains nice and glossy though with little signs of any craquelure.
There is one tiny old hairline crack to the base - running down from the rim, again reflected in my price. This can be seen on closer inspection of the image that I have taken - please be aware of this condition issue with the base.
The chicken top section of the model is nice and clean with no damages of any sort. Given its age - it looks good on a pine dresser in a farmhouse kitchen.
Please examine all the photographs on the listing to fully assess the condition.
Dimensions: The overall length is about 8 ½ inches and the width is 6 1/4 inches. Height is roughly 6 3/4 inches. The weight unpacked is 1.1 kg.
A very fair price for this most attractive and indeed very decorative example. UK postage quoted is for Parcelforce24 hour service - this will be £10 and applied to your order at the checkout.