{"product_id":"royal-doulton-character-kitten-looking-up-bone-china-animal-study-hn-2584-england-20th-century","title":"Royal Doulton | Character Kitten — Looking Up | Bone China Animal Study | HN 2584 | England, 20th century","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRoyal Doulton | Character Kitten — Looking Up | Bone China Animal Study | HN 2584 | England, 20th century\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA cat looking up has decided that whatever is above it is worth the effort of acknowledgement — which, from a cat, is significant.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoyal Doulton's Character Kitten series, designed by Peggy Davies and issued from 1941, comprised six studies of a single kitten in distinct poses. HN 2584, the kitten looking up, captures the animal in a moment of alert attention — seated with its weight shifted forward onto the front paws, head raised and eyes directed upward, the tail curling behind the body. The series remained in production until 1985 and is among the most consistently collected of Royal Doulton's smaller animal studies, valued for both the quality of modelling and the naturalism of the painted decoration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe figure is modelled in the round on a small integral base. The colouring is a tortoiseshell palette of ginger-brown, black and white, consistent with the colourway used across the Character Kitten series. The markings are applied with naturalistic brushwork that follows the contours of the body — warm brown and black striping across the head and back, white to the chest and muzzle, and a black-tipped curling tail. The yellow-green eyes are well-painted and alert. The glaze is high and even throughout. The base carries the green printed Royal Doulton Bone China mark with \"Made in England\", together with the hand-painted model number HN 2584 and an X suffix. No date code is present.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe X suffix applied to the model number indicates that the piece was graded as a factory second at the point of manufacture. No fault is apparent on inspection. There are no chips or cracks. The figure displays well and is in very good condition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCollector Appeal\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA complete Character Kitten series comprises six models, making individual examples perpetually collectible as part of a wider set. The “Looking Up” pose is among the most expressive in the series, appealing both to Royal Doulton collectors and to buyers drawn to animal studies with genuine character. The presence of the X factory second mark introduces an additional layer of interest — often indistinguishable in practice, yet historically part of Royal Doulton’s quality control system — offering an accessible entry point into the series without compromising display quality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaker: Royal Doulton\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeries: Character Kitten\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTitle: Looking Up\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eModel Number: HN 2584\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSuffix: X (factory second)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesigner: Peggy Davies\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaterial: Bone china\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduction Period: 1941–1985\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCountry of Origin: England\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMarks: Green printed Royal Doulton Bone China mark; \"Made in England\"; HN 2584 X\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe fault that earned it the X mark has been invisible for decades — which raises the question of whether a perfect object and an object that appears perfect are meaningfully different things.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Dancing Faun ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45046617931976,"sku":null,"price":795.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0575\/3497\/2104\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_3e5af150-68b3-4bb6-898c-c4097f64e207.png?v=1775844942","url":"https:\/\/dancingfaun.co.za\/products\/royal-doulton-character-kitten-looking-up-bone-china-animal-study-hn-2584-england-20th-century","provider":"The Dancing Faun ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}