teapot with lid, Belleek Pottery Works Company Ltd

Exhibition Label:
"Quilts: A Thread of Modernism," Aug-2005, Debra Thimmesch and Barbara Brackman
The vast majority of the pieces designed at the Belleek factory have historically drawn on nature-most often marine life such as seashells, sea urchins, and coral-for inspiration. Belleek artisans sought to synthesize such motifs and emergent styles such as Art Nouveau. The Parian porcelain gets its name from the marble from the Greek island of Paros. Turn-of-the-century owners of Belleek pottery prized the fine, artistic character of otherwise utilitarian objects.

Archive Label 2003:
Belleek produced this small teapot after 1863, when it began making pieces with designs based on the sea. It has the shape of an echinus, or sea urchin, supported by coral branches with coral branches also used for its handle and spout. A tiny shell serves as a knob on the lid of the pot. The lustrous glaze on the Parian china makes the sea urchin form appear as though it was freshly plucked from the sea.

Archive Label 1999:
Belleek porcelain is known for its thinness and pearl-like glazes, both of which were impressive technical achievements. This teapot employs marine forms to enhance the sea references implied by the glaze. Coral branches adorn the base and serve as the spout, while a small shell provides the lid's handle, held in place as if in the teeth of a sea urchin.