What period is most antique terracotta from?

The nineteenth century dominates, with "19th" or a variant of it running through a good share of titles. Of the listings carrying a clean year, the largest single group is dated no more closely than the century itself. Early twentieth-century work is well represented, particularly the 1900s, 1920s and 1930s. The dated field as a whole runs 1700 to 1950, with a small group of ancient and tomb material catalogued only as before 1700.

Why are so many pieces sold as pairs?

Garden and architectural terracotta was made for symmetry: flanking a doorway, a gateway or a flight of steps. "Pair" is one of the commonest words in the titles on Sellingantiques. Lions, urns, busts and figures are the forms that recur in twos, and they account for much of the upper half of the range.

Are Staffordshire dogs really terracotta?

No, and the heading is a broad one. Staffordshire pottery dogs, Japanese Kutani and Sumida Gawa, ironstone, slipware, majolica and porcelain all appear under it. True terracotta, unglazed or part-glazed fired red and buff clay, still carries the category. The other ceramics are a visible minority, and their share is higher in current stock than in what has sold.

Which forms turn up most often?

Two groups split the field about evenly. Garden and vessel work covers urns, planters, pots, jars and jardinieres; modelled work covers figures, busts and sculpture. Animals form a branch of their own, with lions, dogs and pugs the commonest. Country and dairy vessels are a smaller group again: oil and confit jars, salters, tians, pancheons, forcers and crocks.

Is terracotta always unglazed?

Not always. Kitchen and dairy wares are often part-glazed inside, where the vessel had to hold oil, fat or milk, while the outside stays bare clay. Glazed and painted surfaces turn up across the category. Cold painting, applied over the fired surface rather than fired on as glaze, appears on busts and animal models.

How wide is the range of origins?

Wider than most ceramic categories on a British market. France leads the named origins by some distance, followed by Italy and Austria. Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Nigeria, Peru, India, Cambodia and Persia each appear, with Nishapur and Khmer material among the least frequent.

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Antique Terracotta

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Fired red or buff clay, usually left unglazed, worked into garden urns and planters, dairy and kitchen vessels, and modelled busts, figures and animals.

Ancient Pre-columbian Terracotta Zoomorphic Vessel Over 2000 Years Old

Pre 16th century

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Ancient Pre-columbian Terracotta Zoomorphic Vessel Over 2000 Years Old

From Gillers Antiques Ltd

£3,500

FOR SALE

ceramics

Victorian Staffordshire Earthenware Christ at the Column, C.1860

19th century

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Victorian Staffordshire Earthenware Christ at the Column, C.1860

From Ritas Bazaar

£600

FOR SALE

ceramics

19th century

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Huge 19thc Italian Terracotta Wine Jar

From Noah Valentine Antiques Ltd

£1,750

FOR SALE

ceramics

19th century

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Scottish Seaton Pottery Dairy Bowl 1890

From Millers Antiques

£650

FOR SALE

ceramics

Pair Large Victorian Staffordshire Greyhounds with Hares, England C.1850

19th century

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Pair Large Victorian Staffordshire Greyhounds with Hares, England C.1850

From Ritas Bazaar

£800

FOR SALE

ceramics

Ancient Pre-columbian Terracotta Ornithomorphic Vessel Over 2000 Years Old

Pre 16th century

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Ancient Pre-columbian Terracotta Ornithomorphic Vessel Over 2000 Years Old

From Gillers Antiques Ltd

£3,000

FOR SALE

ceramics

19th century

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Impressive 19th Century Glazed Terracotta Dairy Salting Crock / Planter

From CJ Antiques

£165

FOR SALE

ceramics

19th century

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A Victorian Wedgwood Game Pie Dish.

From Drennan & Sturrock Ltd

£380

FOR SALE

ceramics

19th century

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Rare Large 19th Century Antique Slipware Seaton Pottery Bowl _ Dated

From Miles Griffiths Antiques Ltd

£595

FOR SALE

ceramics

Japanese Sumida Gawa Pitcher, Sake Pouring Scene with Two Figures, Meiji–taishō C.1900

1900 - 1920

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Japanese Sumida Gawa Pitcher, Sake Pouring Scene with Two Figures, Meiji–taishō C.1900

From Ritas Bazaar

£350

FOR SALE

ceramics

The most expensive terracotta ever sold on Sellingantiques was a pair of polychrome figures, an Oriental lady and an Arab soldier, sold in August 2025.

Japanese Sumida Gawa Bowl Signed Inoue Ryōsai, Figures in Relief, Meiji–taishō C.1900

1900 - 1920

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Japanese Sumida Gawa Bowl Signed Inoue Ryōsai, Figures in Relief, Meiji–taishō C.1900

From Ritas Bazaar

£300

FOR SALE

ceramics

Waldkater Keramik Art Deco Period Terracotta Model of a Kid Goat - Circa 1925

1920 - 1940

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Waldkater Keramik Art Deco Period Terracotta Model of a Kid Goat - Circa 1925

From M Cross Antiques

£250

FOR SALE

ceramics

19th century

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19th Century North Devon Terracotta Salter

From Browns Antiques and Reclamation

£550

FOR SALE

ceramics

19th century

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Charming Late 19th Century Austrian Seated Terracotta Pug Dog

From LVS Decorative Arts

£925

FOR SALE

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Antique English Victorian Pratt-ware Half Pint Pottery Mug

19th century

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Antique English Victorian Pratt-ware Half Pint Pottery Mug

From Antiques4EU

£165

FOR SALE

ceramics

A Neoclassical Terracotta Semi-nude Bust of “Jeune Femme Florentine”

19th century

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A Neoclassical Terracotta Semi-nude Bust of “Jeune Femme Florentine”

From Kendall House Antiques Ltd.

£3,250

FOR SALE

ceramics

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Antique Terracotta

Ancient Pre-columbian Terracotta Zoomorphic Vessel Over 2000 Years Old

Victorian Staffordshire Earthenware Christ at the Column, C.1860

Huge 19thc Italian Terracotta Wine Jar

Scottish Seaton Pottery Dairy Bowl 1890

Pair Large Victorian Staffordshire Greyhounds with Hares, England C.1850

Ancient Pre-columbian Terracotta Ornithomorphic Vessel Over 2000 Years Old

Impressive 19th Century Glazed Terracotta Dairy Salting Crock / Planter

A Victorian Wedgwood Game Pie Dish.

Rare Large 19th Century Antique Slipware Seaton Pottery Bowl _ Dated

Japanese Sumida Gawa Pitcher, Sake Pouring Scene with Two Figures, Meiji–taishō C.1900

Japanese Sumida Gawa Bowl Signed Inoue Ryōsai, Figures in Relief, Meiji–taishō C.1900

Waldkater Keramik Art Deco Period Terracotta Model of a Kid Goat - Circa 1925

19th Century North Devon Terracotta Salter

Charming Late 19th Century Austrian Seated Terracotta Pug Dog

Antique English Victorian Pratt-ware Half Pint Pottery Mug

A Neoclassical Terracotta Semi-nude Bust of “Jeune Femme Florentine”

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