A most attractive Pair of Late 19th Century Antique English Victorian Staffordshire Pottery "Comforter" Spaniels ~ H 2490 ~ H 2491, having the desirable feature of separately moulded front legs and with curled tails. Usual decoration of gilt chain and padlock to the necks and body. These dogs, with curls on their foreheads are known as "Disraeli" dogs, after Benjamin Disraeli, a great favourite of Queen Victoria, Prime Minister in 1868, and again in 1874, who favoured a similar hairstyle. Such pairs of dogs, widely regarded as "Man's best friend", typically stood on the mantelpiece above the fire in the Victorian cottage home, their familiar, friendly and comforting presence giving rise to the habit of describing them as "Comforters".
Height ~ 22.80 cm. / 9.00 inches ~ Width ~ 16.50 cm. / 6.50 inches ~ Depth ~ 10.20 cm. / 4.00 inches ~ Year ~ Circa 1870.
