Nauticalia

Cats have been welcomed aboard ships as rodent catchers for thousands of years. The custom originated when traders visited Egypt and noticed the mysterious but efficient creatures that patrolled the grain stores, reducing theft by rats and mice. Our models, all featured in our Ships' Cats book, are suprisingly lifelike. Each cat has an identity neck tag and label attached to his underside recounting his place in history. The sculptures are formed from a plastic mould and the coats are hand-coloured rabbit pelts, a left-over product of sustenance food farming in northern China, where the ingenious artists work.