On sale here is a fabulous pair of Staffordshire lions.
Each figurine represents the British lion trampling on a recumbent figure of the French Emperor, Napoleon III.
Each figure is about 11 inches in height. They represent the two leaders instrumental in the unification of Italy.
Both in fine antique condition with no restorations.
There a very minor firing crack on one leg of the lion (as photographed for you) - this was done in the making and has remained stable for over 150 years!
These probably date to around 1860.
A Similar Figure is illustrated on page 300, ''Staffordshire Portrait Figures'' by P. D. Gordon Pugh. Throughout the 19th-century caricatures often show Britain as lion pawing with the figure of a French Emperor.
The figurines are a rare and genuine pairing - and the figures in opposing directions - you would have sat these on either side of a chimneypiece - or perhaps in cabinets in a study. Given their rarity - they are probably items for the more specialist collector of Staffordshire figures - or historical pieces relating to the Second French Empire.
Dimensions: Height 9 1/2 inches. Width is 7 1/2 inches and depth is 2 3/4 inches.
Weight of each figurine unpacked is 1.3 kg
I would probably have to post these figurines to you separately to keep them safe in transit - this would put up postage costs to you a little.
Sadly - I would probably one be able to post in the UK.
The price quoted here is a fair one and is for the pair, as shown.
Like all my Staffordshire figures in my Iconic Edinburgh online store - these are sold as genuine 19th-century issues and are NOT modern reproductions.