A Wally Bird is a tobacco jar or vase in the style of a grotesque owl or bird, first termed for the sculptural productions in this form by Robert Wallace Martin. These were typical examples of ''Martinware'' —

salt-glazed stoneware Salt-glaze or salt glaze pottery is pottery, usually stoneware, with a glaze of glossy, translucent and slightly orange-peel-like texture which was formed by throwing common salt into the kiln during the higher temperature part of the firing pr ...

which was produced by the Martin Brothers in their pottery; first in

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

and then in Southall. The Wally Birds were popular but did not make the Martins wealthy; the pottery closed in 1914. Kate Holterhoff considered that they were successful with consumers because of their

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

features and cited an example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "This bird's upright posture, leer, arched eyebrows, and impish smile psychologize its supreme and delightful acuity. As a successful animal caricature this playful creature meets the gaze of its human audience fearlessly, and appears poised to ridicule our foibles as an equal." Wally Birds were stolen by professional art thieves during a spate of burglaries between 2005 and 2007. It was returned to Ealing council on 2020 and 2021 and were returned to their rightful households. Examples of these birds now sell at auction for large sums of money.

References

English pottery Art pottery {{ceramics-stub