Early Staffordshire Silver Lustre Putti Figurine Pair, 18cm, Restored

This listing offers an evocative early Staffordshire pair of seated putti, originally finished in rich silver lustre and now displaying a wonderfully time-softened and part-restored surface. Standing approximately 18 cm high, each figure is modelled as a naked child seated on a rocky stump, mounted on a rectangular plinth base. The modelling is characteristic of late 18th–early 19th century Staffordshire work, with softly defined anatomy, curly hair and a contemplative downward gaze that gives the group a neoclassical, almost melancholy charm.

The bodies and bases were originally covered in a brilliant silver lustre, fired over a dark underglaze, which now reads as deep chocolate-brown where the metallic sheen has thinned. On both figures the lustre survives in varying degrees of intensity, catching the light across the shoulders, torso and rocky mound, while areas of darker manganese-brown provide contrast and evidence of the original technique. The plinth bases retain much of their mirror-like silvering, albeit with mottling, abrasion and scattered pinholes typical of early lustreware. Small firing flaws and speckling can also be seen, all consistent with early Staffordshire production.

Condition is very much commensurate with age and the pair’s history as display pieces. Both figures have lost one arm at the shoulder; the fractures are old and left unrestored, showing the earthenware body beneath the glaze. One figure shows a more uniform, near-black lustre surface with minor retouching around the stump, hair and lower base, while the companion has a more variegated brown-and-silver appearance and an old stabilised crack running diagonally across the thigh and seat. There are further small chips and glaze losses to toes, high points of the rocky base and edges of the plinths, together with general surface rubbing to the metallic glaze. These flaws have been sympathetically consolidated rather than heavily overpainted, leaving the genuine patina and character of early lustreware clearly visible.

The interiors of the hollow bases are fully glazed, a detail often associated with better-quality Staffordshire figures, and each has a central vent hole from manufacture. Old collector’s inventory labels and hand-written paper notes survive inside and beneath, offering an appealing link to an earlier generation of connoisseurship; one slip references a published discussion of similar pieces. These annotations, while not part of the original manufacture, contribute to the documented collecting history of the pair.

As a decorative ensemble, the figures work beautifully together: one putto sits more upright with legs outstretched and crossed, the other leaning forward in quiet introspection, feet drawn back toward the base. Their mirrored poses suggest they were conceived as a true pair to flank a mantel, clock, or small cabinet, and they remain highly decorative even with the losses. For the specialist collector of Staffordshire and early English lustreware, the pair offers a valuable study in the use of silver lustre on figural forms, illustrating both the brilliance of the original finish and the natural ageing patterns of the metallic surface. For interior decorators, they provide a sculptural, almost bronze-like accent that sits comfortably in both period and modern schemes.

While the condition is clearly imperfect and fully visible in the photographs, it is precisely this honest wear—arm losses, hairline cracks, and softly rubbed lustre—that gives the group its sculptural, almost archaeological appeal, reminiscent of antique marble fragments. They remain stable, display well from multiple angles, and capture an early 19th-century Staffordshire interpretation of classical subject matter with considerable charm. An atmospheric and comparatively scarce pair of early Staffordshire silver lustre putti, ready to add depth and character to a serious collection or to serve as a focal talking point on any mantel, console or bookcase.