{"product_id":"canine-scottish-kennel-club-newfoundland-dog-bronze-dog-sculpture","title":"Canine Scottish Kennel Club Newfoundland Dog Bronze Dog Sculpture","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eScottish Art Deco Newfoundland Bronze, “HELP Scottish K.C. 1925”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn Intriguing Dated Canine Bronze Probably Associated with the Scottish Kennel Club\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHighlights\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRare Scottish Art Deco bronze Newfoundland-type dog.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDated \u003cstrong\u003e1925\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInscribed \u003cstrong\u003e“HELP Scottish K.C. 1925”\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Scottish K.C.” is considered highly likely to denote the \u003cstrong\u003eScottish Kennel Club\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe precise significance of “HELP” remains under historical investigation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePossible charitable, fundraising or canine-welfare context, although presently unconfirmed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSubstantial solid bronze casting weighing approximately 1 kg.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExpressively modelled Newfoundland with characteristic broad head, powerful stance and profuse coat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAttractive naturally aged dark brown patina with warm bronze highlights.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorically evocative subject owing to the Newfoundland's celebrated association with maritime lifesaving.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWider historical context includes the famous Newfoundland rescue traditions surrounding the 1919 wreck of the \u003cem\u003eS.S. Ethie\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGorringes, Lewes, 3 March 2025, Lot 427\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginal Gorringes auction label remains attached beneath the sculpture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn unusual piece of Scottish canine and early 20th-century social history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn intriguing Scottish Art Deco bronze study of a Newfoundland-type dog, dating to \u003cstrong\u003e1925\u003c\/strong\u003e and bearing the unusual period inscription \u003cstrong\u003e“HELP Scottish K.C. 1925”\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe animal stands foursquare upon an integral stepped bronze base, its powerful physique articulated through vigorous surface modelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParticular attention has been given to the Newfoundland's abundant coat and substantial ruff, while the broad head possesses a gentle, composed expression characteristic of artistic representations of this celebrated working breed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA rich dark brown patina has developed naturally across the surface, punctuated by warmer reddish-bronze highlights and areas of age-related tonal variation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sculpture's particular significance lies in the combination of its identifiable Newfoundland-type subject, Scottish inscription and precise date of 1925.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalogue Details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTitle: Scottish Art Deco Newfoundland Bronze, “HELP Scottish K.C. 1925”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSubject: Newfoundland-Type Dog\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOrigin: Scotland\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDate: 1925\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeriod: Art Deco \/ Early 20th Century\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMedium: Bronze\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInscription: “HELP Scottish K.C. 1925”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArtist: Unidentified\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProbable Association: Scottish Kennel Club\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProvenance: Gorringes, Lewes, 3 March 2025, Lot 427; subsequently Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalogue Note\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe inscription carried by this bronze presents a fascinating piece of potentially recoverable social history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Scottish K.C.”\u003c\/strong\u003e is considered highly likely to refer to the \u003cstrong\u003eScottish Kennel Club\u003c\/strong\u003e, an organisation founded in Edinburgh in 1881 and firmly established by the time the bronze was dated in 1925.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSurviving archival material associated with the Club includes historic minutes, accounts and papers extending from the late 19th century through the 20th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe inscription's prominent use of \u003cstrong\u003e“HELP”\u003c\/strong\u003e naturally raises the possibility that the sculpture had a charitable, fundraising, welfare or appeal-related purpose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt present, however, no contemporary documentary evidence has been located establishing the exact initiative to which “HELP” refers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEarlier commercial descriptions interpreted the inscription as evidence of a specifically named Scottish Kennel Club “Help Appeal” in 1925. Our current research has been unable independently to verify such an officially named appeal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe have therefore deliberately adopted the more scholarly approach of recording the inscription verbatim while identifying the Scottish Kennel Club connection as a probable association rather than presenting an undocumented interpretation as established fact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Potentially Important Archival Trail\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sculpture retains an unusual opportunity for further research.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical records relating to the Scottish Kennel Club survive, including minutes, financial accounts and other papers covering the period in which this bronze was produced.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExamination of the Club's surviving records for approximately 1924–1926 may eventually establish whether the sculpture was commissioned, sold, awarded or otherwise distributed in connection with a fundraising campaign, canine-welfare initiative or other activity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUntil such documentary evidence is identified, the exact purpose of the inscription appropriately remains open.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Newfoundland\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Newfoundland occupies a distinguished position in the history of working dogs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDeveloped in association with Newfoundland's fishing communities, the breed became internationally celebrated for its strength, swimming ability and extraordinary aptitude for working in water.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts physical characteristics made it particularly suited to assisting fishermen, retrieving objects and operating around boats and difficult coastal environments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNumerous accounts of Newfoundland dogs assisting people in distress transformed the breed into an enduring symbol of loyalty, courage and lifesaving.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese qualities also fascinated artists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Newfoundland dogs appeared in paintings, prints, bronzes and other works of decorative art, often carrying a symbolic significance extending well beyond straightforward animal portraiture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaritime Rescue \u0026amp; The Meaning of “HELP”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe combination of a Newfoundland-type dog and the word \u003cstrong\u003e“HELP”\u003c\/strong\u003e is particularly thought-provoking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy 1925, the Newfoundland's reputation as a lifesaving water dog was firmly embedded within British and international canine culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeriod literature continued to celebrate accounts of these dogs swimming through dangerous water, recovering ropes and assisting people from shipwrecks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is tempting to interpret “HELP” in this context.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, without documentary evidence establishing the original purpose of this particular sculpture, any direct relationship between the inscription and maritime rescue must remain a hypothesis rather than a catalogue assertion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe S.S. Ethie \u0026amp; Reuben Decker Tradition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn especially famous story concerns the wreck of the coastal steamship \u003cem\u003eS.S. Ethie\u003c\/em\u003e off Newfoundland in December 1919.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe vessel encountered severe winter conditions and was ultimately driven ashore near Martin's Point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose aboard survived.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA subsequently celebrated account described a dog belonging to local resident \u003cstrong\u003eReuben Decker\u003c\/strong\u003e assisting with a line between the stranded vessel and the shore.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story entered Newfoundland folklore and has frequently been repeated as an example of canine maritime heroism.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eModern historical research has questioned elements of the traditional account.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo evidence has presently been identified establishing that the current bronze represents Decker's dog or was created specifically in response to the \u003cem\u003eEthie\u003c\/em\u003e disaster.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccordingly, Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD® records the episode solely as relevant historical context for the Newfoundland's celebrated maritime-rescue reputation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGorringes, Lewes, East Sussex, 3 March 2025, Lot 427.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe original Gorringes auction label survives attached beneath the base and identifies the sculpture as:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“A bronze of a Newfoundland Terrier”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSubsequently acquired for the collection of \u003cstrong\u003eCheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe surviving auction label will remain with the sculpture as part of its continuing provenance record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeight: 7.5 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLength: 10.4 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWidth: 5.9 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeight: approximately 1 kg\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition Report\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePresented in attractive antique condition with an established naturally aged patina.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe surface displays expected rubbing, oxidation, marks and tonal variation associated with age and previous handling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAreas of green verdigris are visible, particularly around portions of the head and neck.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMinor nicks and wear are present around the stepped base, together with small chips and losses around portions of the underside and lower edges.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese characteristics are consistent with the bronze's approximately century-old age and contribute to its authentic period appearance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease refer closely to the accompanying photographs, which form an integral part of the condition assessment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorldwide shipping is available.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bronze sculpture will be professionally packaged using appropriate protective materials and dispatched fully insured.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInternational buyers are welcome. Please contact us for a destination-specific delivery quotation or to discuss any particular shipping requirements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate of Sale \u0026amp; Dealer Attribution\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale \u0026amp; Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAttribution and Research\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the available evidence, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese observations should be understood as professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact or guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic research may refine, expand or revise current interpretations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpecialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery artwork is professionally researched and catalogued using comparative scholarship, published reference material and more than two decades of experience within the international fine art market. We are committed to offering collectors works of artistic and historical merit accompanied by transparent provenance research, detailed catalogue descriptions and professional, client-focused service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditional photographs and further information are available upon request.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55150597833082,"sku":"CAC-SK-0351","price":3200.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0201\/2227\/1808\/files\/gps_generated_21e75e58-f7df-4fe1-b59f-0aca9aa37be6.png?v=1742125496","url":"https:\/\/cheshireantiquesconsultantltd.com\/ga-euaustria\/products\/canine-scottish-kennel-club-newfoundland-dog-bronze-dog-sculpture","provider":"Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD","version":"1.0","type":"link"}