ONE of the most spectacular pieces ever created by Belleek Pottery has been unveiled.
Valued at a cool £75,000, the new International Centrepiece is a reproduction of the elaborate parian china masterpiece created for the Paris Exhibition in 1900 which claimed the Gold Medal.
Standing over 30in high, the centrepiece is a three-footed urn with three Irish wolfhounds keeping guard around the base and is decorated with Irish harps and hand-crafted flowers.
Five limited editions of the recreated centrepieces are being released to mark the Fermanagh firm’s 155th anniversary.
John Maguire, managing director of Belleek Pottery, said they had already received interest in the centrepeice ahead of yesterday’s unveiling.
“Everyone who visits the pottery stops to look at the International Centrepiece and to marvel at the design detail and craftsmanship that was being produced by the company in the Victorian era,” he said.
“I am confident that local and international collectors of Belleek will be interested in this limited edition.
“The grapevine amongst china collectors is very strong and even prior to the launch we have had approaches from potential purchasers.”
More than 50 separate moulds were needed in the ambitious recreation.
“It was a major challenge for our team – it took around 18 months to complete,” said Fergus Cleary, head of design at Belleek.
“We were lucky that the original moulds from 1900 had been retained in our store but they were unusable and had to be painstakingly reconstructed using the exact same skills originally employed to make the centrepiece over 100 years ago. From there, it really was a matter of professional pride for all of us involved to deliver a product of the quality and attention to detail that would be worthy of our forefathers.
“I believe that the centrepiece exceeds our expectations.”
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