Rare Pair Of 19Thc Papier-Mâché Nodding Cats & Mice C.1880

The charming pair of nineteenth century papier-mâché nodding cats, each modelled alert and low to the ground with a mouse clenched triumphantly in their jaws, being painted in black and white with expressive yellow eyes and delicate facial detailing, the bodies are fixed while the heads and tails articulate gently, giving them a wonderfully animated quality and retaining their original naive character and hand-painted charm.

Remaining in fair overall condition considering the fragility, both display expected age-related wear, with surface rubbing, some repairs, small paint losses and minor craquelure consistent with their period. The nodding mechanisms remain present but do need adjustments to have them functioning. Due to their rather ephemeral nature they are rare survivors.

Victorian novelty toys and automata often blurred the line between decoration and amusement. These cats belong to that world being part parlour curiosity, part folk sculpture. The combination of humour and predator instinct gives them a curious psychological tension, playful yet slightly unsettling which is very much in keeping with the Victorian domestic whimsy.

Papier mâché became an industry in England in 1772 when Henry Clay of Birmingham took out a patent for its making and as a result produced the inexpensive plastic of its time, easily be molded into desired shapes. As indicated by its name, it was mashed or pulped paper, which was first, molded, then baked, to drive off the moisture that had reduced it to pulp. When it became firm and hard it was finished with an enamel-like coat of paint and was then ready for a wide variety of decorative treatment.

Engaging, characterful, and beautifully timeworn, a delightful pair that sit perfectly within a cabinet of curiosities or amongst other vernacular animal forms atop a mantlepiece.