Bordallo Pinheiro Crackle-Glazed Ceramic Leopard Sculpture, Portugal, 1970s

Expressive Portuguese ceramic leopard sculpture by Bordallo Pinheiro, dating from the 1970s. The animal is shown seated upright on its haunches, with straight forelegs, a rounded back and its head turned slightly forward. At 28.5 cm high, 28 cm wide and 14 cm deep, the figure has a strong tabletop presence while remaining compact enough for a shelf, console or cabinet.
The body is modelled with broad, rounded volumes rather than naturalistic fine detail. Its ground colour moves from warm ochre and amber across the head and back to cream-white on the chest, muzzle and paws. Irregular black spots cover the body, with smaller marks across the face and larger patches along the flanks. The surface is finished in a glossy crackle glaze, whose fine network of lines is visible across both the pale and coloured areas.
The face gives the sculpture its particular character. The mouth is open to reveal individually modelled white teeth and a pale pink tongue. Black painted lines describe the lips, whiskers and muzzle, while raised ears, arched brows and glassy green-grey eyes create an alert, theatrical expression. The ears are picked out in black and ochre, and long painted whiskers extend from rows of spots on either side of the muzzle.
Seen from the side, the leopard's chest rises vertically above the front paws and the back curves into the seated body. Painted rosettes and individual dots follow these changes in volume, preventing the decoration from reading as a flat pattern. The contrast between the fierce open mouth and the compact seated posture gives the piece the lively, slightly humorous quality associated with Portuguese ceramic animal figures.
The underside is recessed and pierced, with the Bordallo Pinheiro factory mark at the centre. The sculpture is in good vintage condition. Overall glaze crazing, small surface marks, minor losses to painted detail and irregularities from manufacture are visible. No obvious major chips, cracks or repairs were observed in the photographs.