Staffordshire Dogs - real or not?

Hi there, Wondering if these are genuine. They came from UK with us in 1966 and had belonged to my grandmother since post WWII. There are firing holes on the bottom but no marks. They are not identical paint jobs. Cheers and thanks.

 

People need to see the bottoms.

 

Thank you - do these help?

 

Hi, Sue, and welcome!

Are any of the black smudges shown below actually marks of any sort?

I'm going to say no to Staffordshire, but a better (and larger!) photo of any marks would go a long way toward IDing these puppies!

 

There are definitely no marks - just dirt What I have just noticed though is that they are molded as two halves - there is a definite seam joining front to back of each dog. No seam can be seen on the bottoms.
This is great fun - thanks for your assistance. Sue (Ottawa, Canada)

 

Your pictures are too small for me.

This might help

https://www.realorrepro.com/article/Staffordshire-Dogs

 

Can you upload full size so we can expand and see more details?

I don't like that there aren't brush strokes....that said I have a pair of early lions and the paint is similar to yours. Mine are decorated front to back but they aren't dogs...they were meant to be seen from both sides. Your holes aren't excessive and are right for an aged piece....but again, better photos I can blow up would help.

 

They were almost certainly new when your grandmother bought them. That glaze is far too shiny and the decoration has that airbrushed look - having said that, that effect has been around since the early 20th C. They may well be Staffordshire made, but they aren't old old.

 

I'd like to see the finish closer. It looks crackled but I can't be sure. My lions are old old and they have that paint effect, though they also have hand brushed gold painting as well.

 

I don't know....the finish is very simple but it looks to have age. My lion has glass eyes and the painting is finer but the effect is similar. I'm not an expert though so all I can say is that you should do more investigation because they are a possibility.

 

Thank you - what a great site to get expertise from!