Staffordshire dog statues back in vogue with TikTok generation
Pairs of Staffordshire ceramic dogs, once commonplace on Victorian mantelpieces, are having a sudden resurgence with a boom in demand from a new generation.
The vintage marketplace Vinterior reports that searches for Staffordshire dog statues is up 115% year-on-year. When Vinterior launched a recent pop-up store in London’s Selfridges, it was the dogs not the Danish dining chairs that were the first items to sell out.
The antiques specialist, John Howard, is somewhat surprised but thrilled to see the Victoriana look back in vogue. “The market changed significantly around 10 years ago with the end of the Laura Ashley era. But now we are seeing demand for more kitsch pieces again. It’s a bit of a cool in-joke to have a pair,” he said.
The original inspiration for the ceramic animals is said to have been Queen Victoria’s beloved Kings Charles spaniel Dash.
Howard says the best quality Staffordshire dog statues were made by small potteries in Staffordshire from 1845 to 1870. Fashioned from press-moulded earthenware, they were hand-painted and many were given glass eyes. From the 1900s onwards they were mass-produced and the quality dropped. However, they are not necessarily “fake”: many were made using original moulds, but the detailing is more blurred.
Lucy Ward, Vinterior’s brand director, said there were two distinct groups buying the dogs – collectors with a long-term passion and the younger Instagram and TikTok generation. She explains the latter love the dogs’ playful and whimsical appearance and want to inject a touch of humour to their homes.
The architect and interior designer Ben Pentreath falls into the former camp. He bought his first pair more than 15 years ago from a junk shop in Dorchester. They sit proudly on his
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