Colonel Barkley French Provincial Dog Bust in a Shirt, Rust Cast Iron 29cm

A gundog in a pressed shirt, looking off at something you cannot see.

Colonel Barkley is a dog head bust cast in solid iron and finished in a natural rust patina: a smooth-coated hound with soft folded ears, wearing a buttoned collared shirt, mounted on a turned pedestal foot with a square base. He weighs 4 kg, which is the difference between cast iron and the resin pieces that copy this shape. The casting carries the fold of each ear, the collar points and the line of buttons down the front.

At 29cm he is the size of a table lamp, small enough to lift with one hand and characterful enough to hold a console on his own. He is built for outdoor life: the pedestal gives him a flat stable foot, and the rust patina is a finish rather than a fault, so weather deepens him instead of wearing him out.

Why we love it

• ◆The expression, a working dog's face on a gentleman's bust, played completely straight, which is what makes it funny
• ◆The shirt, collar, placket and buttons all worked, so the joke lands close up as well as across the room
• ◆The weight, 4 kg of solid cast iron on a pedestal foot, so he holds a shelf edge without a thought
• ◆The rust patina, deep amber across the muzzle and shoulders, russet in the folds of the shirt, and it only improves outdoors

How to style it

He is a profile piece on a pedestal, so treat him like a small bust rather than an ornament.

• Stand him on a hall console or a bookshelf at eye level
• Put him on a desk where the shirt collar reads at close range
• Set him on a garden table or a wall cap under cover
• Pair him with Captain Houndsley, the terrier in a bow tie, for two dogs at odds
• Group him with the rest of our garden sculptures

Care & Keeping

Wipe with a soft dry cloth to lift dust out of the ear folds and around the shirt collar. The rust patina is a finished surface and needs no sealing. Place a felt pad or a saucer underneath on pale stone or painted timber, and keep harsh chemical cleaners and abrasive pads away from him.

Because Colonel Barkley is hand-finished, slight variations in patina, texture, and grain are natural and add to the unique character of each piece. Colour may also vary slightly between screens, all photography is taken in natural light.