Hungerford Arcade’s good friend, Stuart Miller-Osborne has requested your help in identifying a recent purchase.
Hello Again
Whenever I write an article I usually research the subject as much as I can. This is partially to educate myself and partially to ensure the accuracy of the article. If I am travelling then I work from my notes (if I can read them) and then spend a couple of hours putting the article together. But there are times when I see or even purchase an item which is so mysterious that no matter how hard I try I always end up where I started. If I have purchased this item from an antiques outlet then the dealer can fill me in, but if I find these things in, lets say, a charity shop or at a summer fair then my windows are limited.
This happened to me recently in Sandwich in Kent which is about three miles from where I live.
Caron and I were visiting the lovely 1930s cinema in the town to see Top Gun Maverick (I had lost a bet and apart from washing up for the next ten years I was forced to see Tom flying around in the skies). The Empire in Sandwich is privately owned and is an absolute gem. It is a time capsule (with so many original features) and I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area (it is also massively cheap and you can see any movie for about seven pounds or less).
However, prior to the movie we decided to wander around the town to see what was going on and soon found ourselves in a charity shop not far from the cinema. It was there that I spotted a pair of small ceramic cats which interested me greatly but at a glance I could not identify any features that might define their age or origins. So instead of having an ice cream at the cinema I gave a home to these beautiful felines.
And that is where the mystery starts for no matter how much I tried I could not date them or confirm who had made them.
So I am asking for your help and have included a couple of illustrations to help you along your way.
The cats are not very big and sit on a deep blue cushion and suffer from what I believe is called crazing (forgive me if I am wrong). Judging from their appearance they appear to be vintage as they are quite simply made but that is where it ends.
Two small matching ceramic cats who were obviously sold as a pair (I do hope they liked each other as you know what cats can be like). I did not pay a fortune for them and they have made a pleasing addition to my cabinet but it would be nice if I knew a little more about them.
If you know more than I do then please bump a mail to the arcade before the dealers identify these mogs.
Please do put me out of my cat induced misery.
Happy Hunting
Stuart
