Myrna Schkolne: Early Staffordshire Figures

A long time ago, I picked up this little bird whistle in London for a song. It was in the stock of a fine porcelain dealer, who didn't think too much of  pottery, obviously. My husband didn't know why I was buying this diminutive object (it is just over 2" tall), but that didn't stop me. It has remained a much loved item in our collection--or at least I love it lots.

Can you imagine how easily a small item like this whistle gets lost, broken, discarded over the centuries? It is no surprise that the years marched by without my seeing another. But at the New York Ceramics Fair this January, I was amazed to find its identical twin in the stock of James Labaugh Antiques. Yes, it cost a lot more than mine had, but it was worth it. A real little gem.

I do have one other bird whistle, bought at the 2009 NYCF from John Howard.

Charming isn't it? And the glaze and enamel colors are as brilliant today as they were two centuries ago. Amazing to think how much trouble once went into making a whistle, how much concern there was for its beauty. Today, a whistle is merely a utilitarian object, usually churned out on a production line in some distant country. Have we really progressed over time??