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A very rare Louis Wain ceramic cat, C. 1914, 'Futurist Cat' the…
Lot No.
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Description:
A very rare Louis Wain ceramic cat, C. 1914, 'Futurist Cat' the cubist style in green, with yellow and red accents. With printed mark to underside made in England, moulded manufacturer's marks Rd no. 1637 (indistinct) and glaze mark Louis Wain. Impressed marks 'Futurist Cat' and 'Louis Wain' on opposite sides, height 27.6 cm, width 24.5 cm, depth 10.9 cm, some minor paint flakes and small hairline restoration to back right foot. Louis Wain took the idea for his pottery cats from the new Cubist movement which had been embraced by painters of the time such as Pablo Picasso. Initially, he designed a set of nine small cats and an unknown amount of larger ones and initially used a factory by the name of Max Emmanuel to have them made. They were then shown at an exhibition in 1914. However, the pottery cats were not received well in the UK but stores in America was interested and placed an order. Sadly, the ship carrying the cats to the States was hit by a torpedo from a German U-boat and Wain's entire investment was lost, thus he did not receive any money as the goods had not been delivered. Later a Czechoslovakia pottery Company 'Amphora' placed the cats back into production but it is also unknown whether Wain himself sold the designs to 'Amphora' or whether it was the original pottery, Max Emmanuel. However, Louis Wain's name does appear on the later geometric angular cat designs, so he must have been involved somewhere along the line.
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Ceramics: Zother - 20th Century British