Vintage Cast Iron Cockerel Doorstop in Russet and Red

Every good farmhouse kitchen has a cockerel somewhere, and this one has puffed out his chest and taken up position by the door. He is a vintage cast iron doorstop, hand painted in warm russet and burnt orange with a scarlet comb and wattle, and he looks as though he is about to crow.

Cast iron doorstops became a fixture of British homes in the Victorian era, and the cockerel has always been one of the most loved designs. He stands for the start of the day and the farmyard kitchen, and he has a long history as a symbol of good luck and of France, which is why he turns up on everything from weathervanes to Provencal pottery.

The casting here is crisp and full of movement. Every feather on his neck and breast is picked out in raised ridges, his long tail sweeps back in curling plumes and his clawed feet grip a rocky mound of dark bottle green. The russet paint has been shaded with deeper brown so the feather detail stands out, and the comb, wattle and beak are painted in rich red and black. The back is cast flat and painted black, so he sits neatly against a door or a wall.

He stands 22cm high, 20cm wide and 4cm deep, with a proper weight for holding a heavy door open against a draught. The paint shows gentle wear in keeping with his age.

We would set him by a back door with a basket of logs and a pair of wellies, against the larder door in a country kitchen, or on a deep windowsill beside a jug of garden flowers. He would make a cheerful present for anyone who keeps hens, loves a farmhouse kitchen or collects cast iron doorstops.