Lot 247: Royal Crown Derby Emperor Penguin and Chick Paperweight

A fine bone china paperweight by Royal Crown Derby depicting an Emperor Penguin with a chick. The adult penguin is decorated with a glossy black head and a white breast featuring gold and pale blue snowflake motifs. The wings are embellished with a repeating pattern of dark blue stylised feathers accented with 22ct gold teardrop motifs. The small chick is rendered in shades of blue and white with gold-fringed down. The base is fitted with a gold ceramic stopper embossed with Royal Crown Derby and Made in England, signifying first quality. It features a red printed backstamp with the company monogram and the words Royal Crown Derby English Bone China. Below the stamp is the Roman numeral LXII, corresponding to the year 1999. Additional hand-painted decorator marks include the letter A in purple and a small brown brushmark to the base.