ELLIOT HALL ENAMELS 2016 CLUB ISSUE 13
Welcome Tiffany and I are delighted to welcome you to our special spring issue of Fusion and we are in a celebratory mood! First, we send Happy 90th Birthday wishes to HM Queen Elizabeth II and we introduce two exceptional enamel boxes to commemorate this important occasion. The miniature round enamel box is painted with colourful daffodils by Sandra Selby, and the large rectangular box is painted by Peter Graves and features Royal residences and monuments. Both these enamels are issued in a limited edition of 10, and we have chosen this number to link to our second celebration - 2016 is the 10th anniversary of the start of Elliot Hall Enamels, following the closure of Moorcroft Enamels. Throughout the year we will mark our anniversary with enamels in limited editions of 10, thus creating a unique 10th Anniversary Collection combining varied designs by many of our talented artists and a range of shapes. The first three 10th Anniversary enamels - a Barn Owl Vase, Blue Floral Heart Box and a Butterflies Vase - are launched in this issue. Meanwhile, turn to the back cover for the Sparrows Ginger Jar, the latest in the Annual Garden Birds Ginger Jar collection. We hope you enjoy our new enamels the dedication, passion and incredible levels of skill and artistry required to make these enamels is, we feel, increasingly rare in this day and age of computers and throwaway items. I ve spent my entire life working with enamel artists and without exception they take pride in what they do, but it s your continued support and appreciation of their art that makes it possible for these exceptional artists to keep an ages-old traditional craft alive and to make their mark in history. Thank you. In the meantime if you have any queries please do not hesitate to get in touch with me or Tiffany. Yours Elliot. 2
10th Anniversary Collection Enamels issued in limited editions of 10 will be launched throughout the year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Elliot Hall Enamels. Marie Graves s ingenious design combines daffodil flowers, delicate curling foliage and a bird in shades of blue with white accents and perfectly fits the contours of the heart-shaped box. This charming hand painted study in blue covers every part of the gorgeous enamel box and it would make a romantic gift for a number of anniversaries or just to say I love you. There is a special significance to the inclusion of this design within the celebratory series, as a daffodil is also the flower linked to a 10th wedding anniversary. Blue Floral Heart Shaped Box Limited edition of 10 55mm wide RRP 335 $670 Australian Dollars 3
Barn Owl Vase and Butterflies Vase Elliot has commissioned an innovative and technically complex enamel vase for the 10th anniversary. This features a subtle convex curve to the inner surface of the base, and the enamel artists will use its gentle contours to add a dynamic sense of movement to their paintings inside the vase. The generous rounded curves of the new vase imitate the shape of plump and juicy fruit such as plums and peaches and so Elliot has named the new shape after the Worcestershire town of Evesham. Both the Barn Owl and Butterflies Vase feature superb designs painted by Sandra Selby and they are wrap-around scenes revealing her exceptional mastery of enamel painting on curved surfaces, both inside and outside of a vase and her use of the new convex curve. 4 Butterflies Limited edition of 10, 75mm High RRP 1250 $2500 Australian Dollars Barn Owl Limited edition of 10, 75mm High RRP 1250 $2500 Australian Dollars
Happy Birthday Queen Elizabeth In celebration of HM Queen Elizabeth II s 90th birthday on 21st April 2016, we have launched two outstanding enamel boxes, both hand painted with original designs by Sandra Selby and Peter Graves. The boxes can have optional inscriptions of Queen s 90th Birthday and are issued in a limited edition of 10. Heralding the Celebrations Sandra Selby s design on the Great Whitely shape enamel box is exquisitely crafted to use the gentle contours of the box to depict a posy of daffodils delicately bound with a royal blue ribbon. The lid is ablaze with open daffodil flowers triumphantly heralding the year ahead, whilst around the curved sides of the box, Sandra has painted the green stems of the spring flowers, tied with a bow. Daffodils Limited Edition 10 35mm Diameter RRP 215 $430 Australian Dollars Royal Residences The second box is by Peter Graves and his incredibly detailed paintings are of buildings with a special significance to the Queen and important in the history of the Royal family - Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle, Sandringham House, Buckingham Palace, Osborne House and the Prince Albert Memorial. Peter s work is exceptional and he uses the finest brushes to paint each layer of colour and to add the fine distinguishing architectural details of each royal building such as windows, chimneys and turrets. Limited edition L: 80mm with Rhodium Silver Plated Bezel. R.R.P 1295 $2500 Australian Dollars Optional inscription on base Queens 90th Birthday 5
Lid: Windsor Castle Peter s painting shows the 1,000-year old Windsor Castle in its commanding position overlooking the River Thames. The castle is very much regarded as home by Queen Elizabeth II, and she is in residence most weekends. Her fondness for the castle can be traced back to the 1940s, when she and her sister lived there as it was felt to be safer than Buckingham Palace during the war years. Inside Lid: Balmoral Castle Queen Victoria and Prince Albert travelled to Scotland in 1842 and, enthralled by the beauty of the Highlands, resolved to buy a home in the country. In 1848, they settled on Balmoral Castle nestled below the Grampian Mountains as their Scottish retreat. After moving in, the couple decided they needed more space and the new castle was inspired by some features of the earlier building and incorporated Scottish Baronial architecture such as turrets, battlements and pinnacles. Balmoral Castle quickly became the royal couple s favourite home and it was affectionately described by Queen Victoria as My dear paradise in the Highlands. Balmoral Castle has also become one of Queen Elizabeth s favourite places and she visits it with other members of her family for an extended stay in July and August each year. Inside Base: Sandringham House Sandringham House in Norfolk was bought in 1862 as a country home for Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who had just turned 21. The Prince made the old house habitable and moved in with his wife, Princess Alexandra of Denmark but it was soon too small for their growing family and a new house was completed in 1870. George V and George VI both loved the house, and this affection is shared by Queen Elizabeth II. She first visited for Christmas 1926 and it s where she now usually spends the festive season each year. 6
The box left side: Osborne House Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Osborne House on the Isle of Wight in 1844 and the following year they bought the property as a retreat from the pressures of London court life. The existing house was too small for their needs, so they commissioned a new building from architect Thomas Cubitt and work began in 1848. After Prince Albert died in 1861, Victoria regularly stayed at Osborne House died there in 1901. After her death, Edward VII gave the estate to the nation and it s now managed by English Heritage. The box right side: Buckingham Palace Buckingham House was built by John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham as his London home, and in 1761 George III bought it for his wife, Queen Charlotte. It was transformed into a Palace during the 1820s, and from Queen Victoria s reign it has been the official residence and administrative headquarters of Britain s monarchs. The forecourt of Buckingham Palace including its gates and railings was created in 1911 as part of a scheme to commemorate Queen Victoria, and the world famous balcony, used to mark many royal events and celebrations, overlooks it. The top/hinge side: The Prince Albert Memorial The Prince Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens, London commemorates Queen Victoria s husband, who died of typhoid fever aged 42 years in 1861. It was designed by George Gilbert Scott and is some 53 metres in height and includes a statue of Prince Albert, and marble figures representing Europe, Asia, Africa and America, and other symbolic of manufacture, commerce, agriculture and engineering. The Parnassus frieze around the base of the memorial includes 187 carved figures celebrating famous artists, authors and musicians and reflects Prince Albert's enthusiasm for culture and the arts. The bottom/opening side: Appleton Water Tower The Appleton Water Tower was built to supply the Sandringham Estate with fresh water. In 1871, the Prince of Wales contracted typhoid while visiting Sandringham and the water supply was proved to be unclean. A new source was found, but to provide sufficient water pressure a water tower was required and the builders, led by engineer James Mansergh, began work on a neo-byzantine styled water tower in 1877. To take advantage of the amazing views of the surrounding countryside, Mansergh included a viewing room for the Royal Family on the tower s second floor. Nowadays, Appleton Water Tower is leased to the Landmark Trust and can be rented as self-catering holiday accommodation. 7
Sparrows Ginger Jar The seventh of 10 designs in the series of Garden Birds Ginger Jars features sparrows. Painted by Sarah Selby, the design features birds perching on a shrub surrounded by yellow blossom. Although the number of house sparrows has declined in recent years they remain one of the most common garden birds in the UK topping the 2016 Big Garden Birdwatch survey. The noisy and gregarious bird is found worldwide. Limited Edition of 25 50mm High 335 $670 Australian Dollars ELLIOT HALL ENAMELS LIMITED UNIT F1A BLACKPOLE Trading Estate EAST, BLACKPOLE ROAD, BLACKPOLE, WORCESTER, WR3 8SG. T: 07974 444412 E: elliot@elliothallenamels.co.uk www.elliothallenamels.co.uk