Porcelain Miniature Wall Sculpture 1
£60.00
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By Kathryn Parsons
£60.00
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About this item
This tiny porcelain sculpture was inspired by 19th century drawings of microscopic sea creatures called ‘radiolarians’. This is currently the only one of its kind in existence; I like to imagine it's a new species, only just discovered. To make this radiolarian, I used simple hand tools to shape the soft porcelain clay, creating each element separately. While the pieces were still soft, I joined them carefully together, coaxing the clay in to natural sea-creature-ish shapes. The little frame that protects the radiolarian is porcelain too. It is intentionally wobbly-edged to emphasise the handmade, individual look. Once it was dry, I painted on three coats of underglaze to create a gorgeous deep, rich colour with a slight sheen when it catches the light. It’s a lovely contrast to the beautiful unglazed, matt white of the creature. The porcelain was fired in my kiln, to a temperature of 1245 degrees centigrade, then I fixed the radiolarian in to its frame. The little frame measures about 5cm wide, 5.5cm high, and roughly 1cm deep. The intricate little sea creature is domed and deeper than the frame. I have added a small metal D-ring to the back of the frame so that it can be hung on the wall, though it would be equally happy propped on a small shelf, perhaps with some other natural treasures. A unique gift, perfect for a nature lover, ecologist, marine biologist, historian, story teller and those who love beautifully made contemporary fine art.
About this item
This tiny porcelain sculpture was inspired by 19th century drawings of microscopic sea creatures called ‘radiolarians’. This is currently the only one of its kind in existence; I like to imagine it's a new species, only just discovered.
To make this radiolarian, I used simple hand tools to shape the soft porcelain clay, creating each element separately. While the pieces were still soft, I joined them carefully together, coaxing the clay in to natural sea-creature-ish shapes.
The little frame that protects the radiolarian is porcelain too. It is intentionally wobbly-edged to emphasise the handmade, individual look. Once it was dry, I painted on three coats of underglaze to create a gorgeous deep, rich colour with a slight sheen when it catches the light. It’s a lovely contrast to the beautiful unglazed, matt white of the creature.
The porcelain was fired in my kiln, to a temperature of 1245 degrees centigrade, then I fixed the radiolarian in to its frame. The little frame measures about 5cm wide, 5.5cm high, and roughly 1cm deep. The intricate little sea creature is domed and deeper than the frame.
I have added a small metal D-ring to the back of the frame so that it can be hung on the wall, though it would be equally happy propped on a small shelf, perhaps with some other natural treasures.
A unique gift, perfect for a nature lover, ecologist, marine biologist, historian, story teller and those who love beautifully made contemporary fine art.
Shipping & delivery
This item will be posted to you by Kathryn Parsons Ceramics within 5 days of receiving payment.
Useful Information
You can cancel the order and get a refund from the maker within 14 days of receipt, provided the item has not been used. Faulty items can be returned within six months of payment being made.
Unless faulty, the following types of items are non-refundable: items that are personalised, bespoke or made-to-order to your specific requirements; items which deteriorate quickly (e.g. food), personal items sold with a hygiene seal (cosmetics, underwear) in instances where the seal is broken; digital items.
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I am fascinated by the small details of the natural world. A couple of years ago a friend gave me a book of exquisite drawings of microscopic sea creatures, made by 19th century scientist Ernst Haeckel… and ever since then I’ve been dreaming about how to capture some of the intricate details and beauty of these tiny life forms! Not long afterwards, I was invited to visit the Natural History Museum’s coral collection. While I was there, the curator showed me some of Charles Darwin’s collection of barnacles. I loved the way that they were arranged, nestled in hand made open-topped cardboard boxes... In October 2019 I had the idea of combining those two strands of inspiration - creating open-fronted ‘boxes’ for a new collection of porcelain radiolarians (shown in the final photo). My radiolarians are not copies of the ones that Haeckel drew - instead I imagine they are new species, recently discovered and displayed here for the first time :)