The wings, tail feathers and head are detailed in underglaze blue, whilst the rock on which it stands is washed in a lustrous brown, 18.2cm.
It is a true hawk, with short rounded wings and a broad flat tail.
It was probably originally one of a pair, as the 1688 Burghley Inventory records: ‘my Lords Dressing Rooms……China over ye Chimney….2blue & wt Birds.’
Raptor figurines were extremely popular amongst European porcelain collectors.
This one, which is hollow, has the potter’s fingerprints clearly visible inside it.
