Copy Cat

This rather demure damsel holding her orange tabby has been in my collection for many years. She is a squirter; the high crown of her bonnet once served to hold a rubber bulb and when she was filled with water and the bulb squeezed, her pussycat would spit out the tiny hole in its mouth. Pussy's head, you may note, is strategically placed for a naughty double entendre. Although of rather good bisque and nicely modeled, with ruffles along the brim of her bonnet and deep folds in her gown, the finishing and decoration are rather rough. These were inexpensive novelty items massed produced in factories and not a lot of time and effort was expended on perfection. She is incised on the back of her skirt "Germany 6685" and is 3.75 inches tall.

A friend sent me a link today to a copy cat listed on eBay. It is yet another modern piece from Germany. As is often the case, the bisque and decoration on the copy is superior to that of the antique original. The doppelgänger dame has a delicately painted face and her feline friend, now black, has tiny painted green eyes. The bisque lacks the original's rough imperfections and somewhat uneven coloring. However, as is typical of these modern copies, some of the modeled details are lost or blurred, such as the ruffled bonnet brim or the sharp dress folds, as well as the markings on the back (interestingly, the seller lists the figure as 4 inches high). Another indication is that the seller's inventory consists mainly of Frankendolls and pseudo-Hertwig anthropomorphic animals, as well as new fantasy items like candy containers. However, unlike some of these fraudulent fakes coming out of Germany, most of these items are under $100, which is pretty consistent with what you might pay a contemporary doll artist for some cute little creation. The dolls are well-made and appealing, and if they were sold as modern artistic reinterpretations of German antiques, I would have no problem with them. But they are not "rar" and they are not "antique," and therein lies my beef.

Wanna See My . . .Lady?

A number of posts on this blog have featured female figures with strategically placed kitty-cats, a double-entendre of "pussy" as an affectionate name for a cat and as a vulgar reference to female genitalia. The Barrison Sisters built an entire vaudeville career in the 1890s by showing off their "pussies" on stage. This bawdy bronze is a slightly different play on pussy. A cute kitten sits on a marble base. Its realistic fluffy coat and appealing face are superbly sculpted, highlighted with a deep golden patina. Just 5 inches high, but with substantial heft, it could have served as a paperweight for a gentleman's desk.

Why a gentleman? Well, this prurient pussy swings open to expose a kneeling nude lady, smugly smiling as she clutches a cache of jewels. She has a subtler golden patina than her feline friend, and her hair and gems are a softly-tinted rose.

Almost obscured by the curls in the fur, "AUSTRIA" is stamped on the back rim of the cat. Beginning in the mid-19th century, Austria, particularly in Vienna, was famous for its foundries and ateliers producing finely crafted artistic bronzes. The works covered a wide variety of genres, including classical studies, animals and nature, comic subjects, Orientalist images, and even erotic images. Often the naughty bits were concealed in a seemingly innocuous subject, only to be revealed by a push of a button or lifting a up a piece of metal drapery. There is a wide variety of these Austria sculptures  concealing salacious secrets, with nubile nudes hidden within an assortment of owls, mice, sphinxes, mummy cases, Eastern idols, and, perhaps most appropriately, an iron maiden.

 

How Charming!

This antique charm features a rather prim-looking woman.  Out of gold toned metal it is just 1.5 inches high.  She appears to be rather upset and stressed, possibly because she is looking for her missing pussycat.  Where could Pussy be?  Here, Pussy, Pussy. . . .

There is that naughty Pussy!  

Playing with her Pussy. . . cat

Striking a playful pose with a feline friend, this 5-inch long bisque bathing beauty is part of a scarce series by Galluba and Hofmann of lovely ladies lounging with their pets.  Her mohair wig is a replacement, but she retains the remains of her silk net bathing suit with shredded faded red bows at neckline and on back.  There are no visible marks.  

 The cute kitten in the blue bow was molded separately and added to his mischievous mistress during the greenware stage.  This allowed Galluba to use its existing bathing beauty models and expand its offerings by simply adding an assortment of animal companions.  The additions included two different types of cats, a spaniel, a French bulldog, and even a very rare devilish imp.  Here is the same model, sans pussycat, who appeared earlier in this blog.  

What a Beautiful Pussy You Are!

"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love, 

What a beautiful Pussy you are, 

You are, 

You are! 

What a beautiful Pussy you are!" 

The Owl and the Pussy Cat, Edward Lear

With remarks by a certain presidential candidate regarding his propensity for grabbing pussies making headlines, I thought this week I would post this fine figurine of woman and her pretty pussy that any collector would like to grab.  By the German firm of Dressel, Kister, and Company, this nubile nude and her feline friend are of the finest china and decoration.  Marked underneath her left foot with crowned “L” in gray and freehand “2,” this curvaceous cutie and her cuddly kitty are 4 inches long and 3.5 inches.  The "L" mark replaced the bishop's crozier mark around 1900, under the proprietorship of Rudolph Lenck, and later his widow, Lina, who sold the factory in 1919.