The basket weave texture on the bread plate is in a band about 3" wide around the circumference of the plate. The weave itself is just like a woven basket you would find all over Ireland. One pretty feature is the way in which the weave gets gradually finer towards the center of the plate, creating a very effective illusion of depth. The shamrocks which adorn the plate are all hand painted; you can quite easily see the brush strokes on the leaves and stems. As this is a bigger plate, about 11.25in in diameter, the stems of the shamrocks are longer making the design quite lifelike. The plate is more of an oval shape than the dinner plate or salad plate, this is to help with carrying it to and from the family table. To add a little further detail, the handles have been painted a light shade of green with random strokes of brown. The stems grow out of the handles on either side, which is yet another nice feature of interest. The Shamrock pattern itself has been established now for generations. As a youth Michael Maguire learned the art of making wicker-work baskets from his grandfather. Many years later he became a modeller with Belleek Pottery. There he took inspiration from his knowledge of this craft to combine the images of this traditional skill with the most symbollic of all Irish emblems, the Shamrock. The Shamrock design is steeped in history and is symbollic of a rich Irish heritage. Given as a gift, this bread plate will be recieved a warm heart and loving smile. |
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