Bertie French Provincial Dormouse Statue with Guitar, Rust Cast Iron 18.5cm

A dormouse who has found a guitar and has absolutely no intention of giving it back.

Bertie is a dormouse cast in solid iron and finished in a natural rust patina, sitting up on his haunches and playing a small classical guitar. He weighs 2.1 kg, which is the difference between cast iron and the resin figures that copy this shape. The fur is worked in fine strands over the whole body, right down to the toes on his back feet.

At 18.5cm he is small enough to sit in the palm of your hand and detailed enough to earn a spot at eye level. He is one of three, and the three of them together are considerably more fun than any one alone. Built for outdoor life: the rust patina is a finish rather than a fault, so weather deepens him instead of wearing him out.

Why we love it

• ◆The instrument, a proper classical guitar with the strings, the soundhole and the bridge all cast in, held across the body
• ◆The pose, sitting up on his haunches with his weight back, which is exactly how a real dormouse sits
• ◆The fur, worked in fine strands across the whole body rather than smoothed into a shape
• ◆The weight, 2.1 kg of solid cast iron for something this size, so he does not skate about on a shelf

How to style it

He is small and the detail is all close range, so put him where people pass within arm's reach.

• Set him on a windowsill, a bookshelf or the back of a desk
• Stand him on a low wall cap beside a path
• Tuck him into the front of a bed among low planting
• Collect the band: Archie on the pan pipes and Chester on the saxophone
• Group him with the rest of our garden sculptures

Care & Keeping

Wipe with a soft dry cloth to lift dust out of the fur and between the guitar strings. 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 Bertie 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.