A seated cat with upright ears and grounded paws, holding a small brown mouse in its mouth.
The figure is formed from two press-molded halves, joined vertically along the spine, with the seam carefully smoothed but faintly visible.
The marbling of the body flows in soft waves of buff, grey, and brown clay, the darker layers derived from an iron-rich brown marl that fires through the body to a deep chestnut tone.
The mouse, modeled separately in that brown clay, fuses seamlessly into the main body at the mouth, its form distinct beneath a continuous glaze.
A delicate cobalt-blue wash is brushed across the ears, shoulders, and body.
Under magnification, the blue is visible beneath the glaze, slightly diffused into it — clear evidence of pre-firing cobalt staining rather than post-firing enamel.
In the 1740s–1750s, potters around Fenton and Shelton perfected agateware by laminating clays of contrasting colors, an innovation traceable to John Astbury and refined by Thomas Whieldon.
Decorative animal figures served as tests of technical control: the joining of laminated clays, color migration under salt vapor, and shrinkage in complex forms. The cat-and-mouse theme combined domestic humor with a nod to natural history—apt for display on a mantel flanking a mirror, where reflected light animated the marbling.
The rhythmic flow of marbled strata across shoulders and haunches mimics the direction of fur, lending vitality.
The restrained cobalt accents provide cool contrast to the warm iron tones, a color harmony characteristic of Whieldon’s palette.
The modelling, neither naïve nor over-refined, aligns with other Staffordshire salt-glaze animals produced before 1760, when finer engine-turned wares supplanted press-molded novelty figures.
Material & Technique: Salt-glazed stoneware composed of laminated buff, grey, and iron-bearing brown clays (“laid agate”).
The mouse modeled separately in solid brown clay of the same iron-rich body, joined at the mouth before glazing.
Body and mouse salt-glazed together in a single firing.
Extra fine orange-peel texture typical of mid-18th-century salt-glaze kilns when using a saggar.
Entire open underside glazed, indicating firing on refractory stilts or within a sagger rather than on a raw kiln shelf.
Press-molded in two halves and luted vertically along the spine.

Dimensions: Height 5.25 in (13.3 cm)

Current Condition: Excellent, with minor chips restored to the tips of both ears, a tiny flake on the edge of one ear, and tiny chips at the tips of both mouse ears.

Clay Composition: The alternating buff and brown laminations penetrate through the entire wall thickness, visible on the open inside of the body, proving genuine laid agate construction.
The brown strata and the mouse share identical color and hardness, confirming that mid-18th-century Staffordshire iron marl is the pigmenting agent rather than a later-applied oxide.
Further, very fine chips at the ends of the mouse’s ears indicate that the brown coloration is uniform throughout.
Salt-glaze Texture: The surface exhibits uniform micro-pitting. Later imitation glazes lack this micro-cratering.
The glaze is continuous and finely fused, exhibiting only the faintest granular texture visible under magnification.
This smooth surface results from moderate sodium-vapor exposure within a protective sagger, a technique employed in Staffordshire kilns to preserve the clarity of agate marbling.
Although lacking the coarse “orange-peel” found on heavier utilitarian wares, the microscopic pin-pitting and flow lines confirm a true salt-glazed surface rather than later imitation.
Cobalt Wash: The translucent blue tone blooms through the glaze, proving sub-glaze cobalt oxide, a technique current at Whieldon’s Fenton Vivian works and nearby potteries in the 1750s.
Press-Mold Join: The vertical seam corresponds precisely with known mold construction from Staffordshire animal figures c. 1745–60.
References:
1stDibs Antique English Saltglaze Agateware Cat Carrying a Mouse, (listed US $4,463.39).
Burnap Collection, English Pottery 1675–1825, no. 362.
Christie’s, London 2010, lot 82.
Chipstone Foundation, Marbled Agateware: Techniques and Identification, 2005.
John Howard Antiques, Antique English Saltglaze Agateware Cat Carrying a Mouse,
Woolley & Wallis, Salisbury 2021 sale, lot 950.
Henry Sandon, Staffordshire Pottery, 1970, pp. 52–53 (on blue staining and salt-glaze firing)

This solid agateware cat was hand-crafted in Staffordshire, England, circa 1745-1760 from laminated salt-glazed stoneware.
An exceptional example of 18th-century English ceramics, it combines the technical innovation of early stoneware with the charm and whimsy of regional folk art.
A separately molded socket atop the cat’s head allows the figure to function as a candle holder.
The cat was made by pressing and molding sheets of layered and stained clay—white ball clay, manganese-stained brown, and cobalt-stained blue—to produce a swirling marbled effect that runs throughout the form.
Unlike surface slip decoration, this technique creates marbling through the entire body.
A clear salt glaze adds brilliance and enhances the depth of the pattern.
Cobalt blue highlights appear at the ears, neck, and across the figure’s body.
The eyes are formed from a darker brown clay that gives the cat an expressive, alert expression.
This is a rare and superb example of antique English agateware, a technically demanding and visually arresting ceramic technique pioneered in Staffordshire in the mid-18th century.
Marks: The underside bears the red ink mark “78.79.7B,” indicating prior ownership by a collector or institution.
Dimensions:
5.5 in. tall × 3 in. deep × 2.5 in. wide
Condition: Excellent; small chips to the tip of one ear and the top edge of the candle holder professionally restored
Price: $2,500
Key Features:
• Material: Laminated salt-glazed stoneware
• Decoration: Solid agate marbling from laminated, stained clays
• Construction: Press-molded figure with luted candle socket
• Glazing: Clear salt glaze enhances contrast and color depth
• Style: English Folk Art / Whieldon style Agateware
• Origin: Staffordshire, England
• Date: Circa 1750-1760