Description
An imposing pottery figure of a bull tethered to a capstan and baited by a Staffordshire bull terrier.
The figure is creamware-bodied and decorated with a dappled ochre and green under the lead glaze.
The figure is compellingly molded with fine details, including the terminal of the rope, the imposing head of the bull, and the expressive vitality of the terrier standing under the bull.
This barbaric ” sport” was banned in Britian in the 1830’s but such figures are a reminder of the social context of the time and remain today as an expressive form of folk art.