Object of the Day: An Antique German Fairing of a Westie Driving a Car

I saw this fairing online recently and thought it was, for obvious reasons, something I should have. I’m very grateful that my parents made a gift of it to me. As you can see, this porcelain fairing depicts a Bertie Dog (West Highland White Terrier to the rest of you) driving a wee, green car and wearing a Tuscan red scarf. This kind of item was given out a Victorian fairs as prizes. 

While predominately an English practice, fairings of this sort were often handed out at American fairs of the Nineteenth Century. The majority of them were produced in Germany, mostly by Conta and Boehme of Pössneck in Saxony. As this one has no marks—they seldom did, in fact—I am not sure if this is by Conta and Boehme, but it sure looks to be. That particular olive green car was also used in designs with driving pigs produced by Conta and Boehme. I’d place this as having been made around 1900-1910.