Lady Clementine French Provincial Rabbit Statue in a Bonnet, Rust Cast Iron 20cm

A rabbit in a bonnet with her skirt gathered up, on her way back from somewhere.

Lady Clementine is a standing rabbit cast in solid iron and finished in a natural rust patina, both long ears up under a frilled bonnet, wearing a long full-skirted dress with a laced bodice and gathered sleeves. One paw holds up a fold of her skirt in front of her, the way you would carrying something in it. She weighs 1.7 kg, which is the difference between cast iron and the resin figures that copy this shape. The casting carries the frill of the bonnet, the lacing across the bodice and the fall of every pleat.

At 20cm she is a small piece, easily lifted in one hand and best placed where people pass close enough to see the lacing. She is built for outdoor life: the rust patina is a finish rather than a fault, so weather deepens her instead of wearing her out.

Why we love it

• ◆The gathered skirt, one paw holding up a fold of the hem, which turns a standing figure into someone caught mid-errand
• ◆The bonnet, a proper frilled bonnet with the ears standing up through it, cast frill by frill
• ◆The dress, laced bodice, gathered sleeves and a full pleated skirt, all worked rather than smoothed
• ◆The rust patina, deep amber across the bonnet and shoulders, russet down in the pleats, and it only improves outdoors

How to style it

Small, and the detail is all close range, so put her where people walk past within reach.

• Set her on a low wall cap beside a path
• Stand her at the front of a bed among low planting
• Put her on a windowsill or a potting bench
• Group her with Miss Clover and our other rabbits
• Add her to the rest of our garden sculptures

Care & Keeping

Wipe with a soft dry cloth to lift dust out of the bonnet frill and between the skirt pleats. 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 her.

Because Lady Clementine 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.