Rare cat figurine after Joan de Bethel in a floral dress, 18 cm

• Extremely rare cat figurine in a floral dress
  
• Based on a design by British artist Joan de Bethel
• Hand-painted ceramics
• Height: 18 cm
  
• Condition: very good
• Extremely rare collector's item, a real rarity!
• In our opinion, the so-called Bethel Cats are the cutest cat figures on earth.

Description

Joan de Bethel was a British artist who became known primarily for her distinctive cat figurines. In 1960, she began making papier-mâché cats with her husband, David de Bethel. Each cat took a full day to make, as Joan de Bethel fired and painted each one by hand in meticulous detail. Today, these pieces are extremely valuable—depending on their condition, they sell for up to over €1,000.

After her husband's untimely death, she had the Rye Pottery create unglazed ceramic molds for her. She painted the cats, and the pottery fired the figurines. After that, demand continued to grow, so Joan asked the Cinque Ports Pottery for larger shipments. Some of the decorators helped out until, with Joan de Bethel's permission, they also began making their own figurines.

There are various varieties, including money boxes based on Joan de Bethel's design. These, too, are extremely rare. We collect Joan de Bethel's cat figurines ourselves and rarely find them for sale. Moreover, they are highly sought after among collectors, especially in the UK, USA, and Australia.

In Germany, the cat figurines are completely unknown. We, too, only stumbled upon the Bethel cats by chance while researching for Sir Mittens. We would like to give this money box to cat lovers whom we hope to share our fascination for these wonderful cat figurines with.

You can find the full range of Bethel cats on our Pinterest page.