Crown Staffordshire | Bone China Galah (Rose-Breasted Cockatoo) | Hand-Painted | England | Mid-20th Century

Crown Staffordshire | Bone China Galah (Rose-Breasted Cockatoo) | Hand-Painted | England | Mid-20th Century

A small galah on a white rocky base, its pink crest raised and head tilted to one side.

The Crown Staffordshire Porcelain Company of Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, became known for its English bone china, including a range of finely modelled bird figures. The firm joined the Wedgwood group in 1973. This figure is a galah, or rose-breasted cockatoo, the Australian bird known for its pink and grey plumage.

The galah stands on an irregular white rocky base, its head turned slightly to one side. Its raised crest is pink, and the back and wings are slate grey, with moulded feathering picked out in darker tones. The breast is salmon-pink, shading to yellow along the sides. Pale cheek patches, a dark curved beak and yellow-ringed eyes complete the face, and the grey feet grip the rock. The glazed base is white with soft grey shading. Underneath is a green printed mark with a crown and intertwined monogram, the partly rubbed wording "STAFFORDSHIRE MADE IN ENGLAND", and the letters "CR", with a separate black painted mark beside it.

The figure is in excellent condition, with no chips, cracks or repairs. The raised crest, feet and other projecting details are intact.

Key Details

• Maker: Crown Staffordshire, England
• Subject: galah (rose-breasted cockatoo)
• Material: bone china, hand-painted
• Marks: green printed crown and monogram mark, "STAFFORDSHIRE MADE IN ENGLAND" (partly rubbed), "CR"; separate black painted mark
• Date: mid-20th century (attributed)
• Dimensions: height 9.6 cm
• Weight: 58 g
• Condition: excellent; no chips, cracks or repairs; crest and feet intact
• Buyer profile: bird and cockatoo collectors, collectors of English bone china figures, anyone with a fondness for Australian birds

Collector Appeal

Crown Staffordshire's bird figures have an established place among collectors of English bone china. The galah's unusual colouring gives this small example a character of its own, and its size suits a cabinet or a carefully arranged shelf.

Pink and grey, and plainly pleased with itself.