Vintage Hand Painted Ceramic Recumbent Tabby Cat Figure, c. 1950–1990
Viridian Eclection
The Piece
A hand painted ceramic cat, modelled lying down with the forelegs folded under, the long tail brought forward around the flank, and the head up and turned slightly to one side as though something has just walked into the room.
The modelling is soft and rounded rather than sharp. The ears are pricked and set wide, the muzzle is short and blunt, and the face is where the painter spent the time: large round eyes outlined in black with a single dot of highlight left in each, a pink nose, and whiskers pulled across the cheeks in three quick dark strokes on each side.
The coat is painted freehand in ochre and soft brown over a cream ground, laid on in broad strokes that follow the body and break the way tabby markings do, with a darker saddle across the shoulders and hips. The chest, the paws and the tip of the tail are left cream. The insides of the ears are washed a pale pink.
The glaze is a satin rather than a high gloss, which keeps the brushwork readable and gives the coat a slightly chalky look in raking light.
History & Provenance
The body is slip cast and hollow, and the decoration is painted by hand rather than transfer printed. That is legible in the strokes themselves: they vary in loading, one or two run a little past the form they were meant to follow, and the markings are not repeated symmetrically from one side to the other. A printed decoration does none of those things.
Nothing on the piece dates it in the documentary sense. There is no maker's mark visible, no registration number and no country of origin stamp, and an absence of that kind sets an outer limit rather than a starting point. Undated decorative wares of this sort were made across a very long span and by a great many hands.
What the object itself will support is narrower. The cast body, the satin glaze rather than the bright hard gloss of earlier commercial earthenware, and the freehand painting over a plain ground together place it in the second half of the twentieth century and rule out the nineteenth. The range given below is set at that width deliberately rather than narrowed to sound more certain than the evidence allows.
Recumbent cats of this scale belong to a long decorative tradition that runs from Staffordshire flatbacks through Continental faience to the studio and factory work of the last century. This one sits at the confident, well painted end of that line without claiming a named workshop.
Product Details
| Era | c. 1950–1990. Dated from construction rather than from style alone. The slip cast hollow body, the satin glaze and the freehand overpainting place it in the second half of the twentieth century. No mark, registration number or country of origin stamp is visible, and that absence gives an outer limit only, which is why the bracket is left wide |
| Maker | Unattributed. No mark visible |
| Form | Recumbent cat, forelegs folded, tail curled forward around the flank, head raised and turned |
| Material | Slip cast earthenware, hollow |
| Decoration | Hand painted. Ochre and brown tabby markings over cream, darker saddle across the shoulders and hips, cream chest, paws and tail tip, pink inner ears, black outlined eyes and drawn whiskers. Satin glaze |
| Marks | None visible |
| Dimensions | Approximately 9 in. long by 5 in. deep by 7 in. high |
| Condition | Very good. No chips, cracks or restoration found. Glaze clean and unworn, painted detail crisp with no rubbing to the face or the markings. Light shelf wear consistent with age and display |
Why It Belongs in Your Home
Animal figures are the easiest thing in the world to get wrong and this one is right. The proportions are observed rather than cartooned, the head turn gives it a direction to look in, and the painter drew the face instead of stamping it. That is the difference between a cat you keep and a cat you move to the back of a shelf.
The colouring is doing quiet work too. Ochre, brown and cream sit against almost any wood, any stone and any warm paint colour, so it can go on a mantel, a stack of books, a kitchen windowsill or a bedside table without having to be designed around.
It has scale on its side as well. At nine inches long it reads clearly across a room, which is more than can be said for the small figurines it will usually be shelved beside.
Every piece is packed with professional-grade materials: multiple foam layers, double-boxing, directional and fragile handling labels. For large furniture we use custom timber crating. We photograph packing before dispatch and can provide images on request.
White-glove delivery is complimentary within 100 miles of Reno, NV. National shipping quotes provided at checkout. All shipments are photographed and documented. Damage claims must be filed with the carrier; we provide all documentation needed to support your claim.
Local pickup is available at Viridian HQ (Reno, NV) with 2–4 days notice. Contact us to arrange. Private viewings also available.
All antique and vintage items are sold as described and all sales are final. Each listing includes detailed condition notes and photographs so you can make a fully informed decision. We encourage buyers to ask questions — about condition, dimensions, finish, provenance — before purchasing.
Antiques are irreplaceable and one-of-a-kind. Carrier handling is outside our control once a piece has left our facility, and major carriers including FedEx do not insure antiques. We do everything within our power to ensure safe transit, but cannot accept liability for carrier damage. If damage occurs in transit, we will provide full documentation to support your carrier claim.
Have a question? — we're happy to provide additional photos, condition detail, or discuss the piece directly.
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