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Porcelain Miniature Wall Sculpture 3

Porcelain Miniature Wall Sculpture 3

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Inspired by 19th century drawings of microscopic sea creatures called ‘radiolarians’, this is a truly tiny gem, hand made in porcelain.

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 miniature frame that protects the radiolarian is porcelain too. It is intentionally wobbly-edged to emphasise the handmade, individual look. I painted the frame with three coats of black 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 un-glazed, matt white of the radiolarian.

The porcelain was fired in my kiln, to a temperature of 1245 degrees centigrade, then I fixed the tiny radiolarian in to its frame. The little frame measures about 3.5 cm wide, 4 cm high, and roughly 1cm deep. The 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.

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The small details of the natural world fascinate me and a couple of years ago a friend gave me a book of exquisite drawings of microscopic sea creatures. They were drawn 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 :)


This item will be posted to you by Kathryn Parsons Ceramics within 5 days of receiving payment.

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United Kingdom £5.00

You have 14 days, from receipt, to notify the seller if you wish to cancel your order or exchange an item.

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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Please note that your sculpture will be sent by Royal Mail "Tracked and Signed" - signature required on delivery.

Please note that if your order is being posted outside mainland UK, you (or the recipient) may have to pay customs or VAT charges and a handling fee. The seller is not responsible for any charges or fees that may incur.

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Designed by Kathryn Parsons in in my studio in Cambridgeshire, UK.

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