Chancellor Percival French Provincial Rooster Statue, Rust Cast Iron 42cm

A rooster mid-crow on his own pedestal, which is exactly how he would want it.

Chancellor Percival is a standing rooster cast in solid iron and finished in a natural rust patina, comb upright, wattles hanging, the long sickle tail sweeping down and back behind him. He stands on a round stepped pedestal cast as part of the piece. He weighs 9 kg, which is the difference between cast iron and the resin and magnesia pieces that copy this shape. The casting carries every layer of neck hackle and saddle feather, the scale of the legs and the spur.

At 42cm and 35cm across the tail he is a wide, low piece that fills a corner rather than a shelf. He is built for outdoor life: the pedestal base gives him a broad footprint, 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 tail, a long arched sickle sweep that gives him a silhouette from twenty metres away
• ◆The feathering, every layer of hackle and saddle worked separately, which is where cast iron beats moulded resin
• ◆The weight, 9 kg on a broad pedestal foot, so he stands through wind without fixing down
• ◆The rust patina, deep amber along the raised feather edges, russet in the recesses, and it only improves outdoors

How to style it

He is wider than he is tall, so he wants floor or a broad flat top rather than a narrow ledge.

• Stand him on a kitchen bench end or an island where the tail can hang over the edge
• Set him on a low garden wall cap with the tail reading against render
• Put him at the corner of a herb bed or a vegetable patch, which is where he belongs
• Give him a hearth to himself beside a fireplace through the cold months
• Group him with the rest of our garden sculptures

Care & Keeping

Wipe with a soft dry cloth to lift dust out of the layered feathering and around the comb. 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 Chancellor Percival 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.