IN LIKE A LION
Charming figurine and other antiques
Q My mother and I don’t know where this piece is from, except that it was in our family for a long time. It is less than nine by 6.5 centimetres (3 ½ by 2 ½ inches), and I append three photographs of the front, back and underside. Thanks kindly in advance. Bill, Ottawa
A This recumbent lion is a miniature Staffordshire animal figure made very close to 1795. It’s definitely British in origin, and there has been lively debate over which company might have made it. Such names as Whieldon, Ralph Wood and Pratt — all well-known Staffordshire potteries — have been suggested, but it is equally possible your lion was made by any one of the unknown or lesser-known potters in the region. The structure of the underside helps to date it to earlier times than most, as later models featured a glazed and closed bottom, unlike the hollowed-out bottom seen here. Still, even without an attributed maker, it’s definitely a charmer and worth upwards of $250 on the British market.
Q I’m curious about the use of this cabinet. The straight legs are chamfered on the inside. The drawer bottoms inside are hand-planed and simple, so I don’t think it’s for silverware. It is just under 53 centimetres wide by 46 deep and 79 high (21 by 18 by 31 inches). Oddly, there are two old small repairs to the drawer front centres — not a place one would expect key damage or the presence of an earlier knob. I’d certainly enjoy learning more about it. Thank you. Paul, Kingston
A You’ve got a rare piece called either a bedside cupboard, night commode, or any combination of the two. The doors would house a chamber pot and other toiletry accoutrements. This distinct style, with two doors above one or two drawers and straight legs, was most commonly done around 1780 in Britain, and sometimes included a top with a gallery and hand-holds. Yours is mahogany, and wonderfully highlighted with checkered inlay borders on the drawers and doors. The well-executed repair was likely a change from single drawer pulls to the present knobs and locks. In Britain these are priced at around $1,500 or more.
Q I have just been reading in the Kitchener-Waterloo Record about it being 100 years since the city of Berlin became Kitchener. It brought to mind a little button (or pin) in my grandmother’s old sewing box. It is a little less than 2.5 centimetres across (one inch) and on the back says ‘Whitehead and Hoag Company, Victoria St., Toronto.’ Are these little pins worth anything? Thanks for your time. Donna, Teeswater, Ont.
A Lord Kitchener (1850-1916) was a much-decorated British army officer whose stern image appeared on many recruiting posters during the First World War. This promotional pin-back button was likely produced around 1914-15 for that purpose. After Kitchener’s untimely death in 1916, the small town of Berlin, Ont. — feeling uncomfortable with its German name — elected to rename itself in his honour, igniting a time of much vexation for the town. (I thank local historian Rych Mills, author of Kitchener (Berlin) 1880-1960, for good reference of that time.) Whitehead & Hoag Co. became the world’s largest producer of novelty and advertising buttons in 1896 after acquiring patents to your “pin-back” button style. They were based in Newark, N.J., with branch offices around the world. The memories invoked by your grandmother’s button are priceless and timely in this year of centenary celebration for the city of Kitchener. It will be worth $50 to the right lapel.