Charming (and Heavy!) Handmade Clay Bear Sculpture Ford and Ford the piece is in very

the piece is in very good condition

late 19th or early 20th century I believe

on a mantle

but it was so lovingly and labor-intensively made (taking three years

and easy to move with the sun

Charming (and Heavy!) Handmade Clay Bear Sculpture Ford and Ford the piece is in veryI think this bear is a charmer, with a great, bold presence and also, with these elegantly pointing legs, ears and nose, a lot of grace. He's solid clay, with a warm, shiny brown glaze on his belly and great reactive black glaze on his back, which gives him a sort of Brutalist feel, too. Signed (incised) on the bottom of his feet John M. Turner. I might guess 1970s or so but am really not certain. Standing dimensions: 7 3 4" tall x 4 1 2" w x 4 5 8"