Taonga Stone - Porcelain Wall Art

A collection of forms inspired by Aotearoa, gathered together around one simple word: aroha.

This handcrafted porcelain wall stone brings together a beautiful collection of New Zealand forms and motifs in Jen's original Taonga design, rendered in rich red against glossy white porcelain.

Look closely and there is plenty to discover. Kōwhai leaves sit alongside a double Pikorua, its intertwined form evoking connection and the relationships between people. A Matau, or fish hook, brings a connection with the sea, while several interpretations of the koru appear throughout the design.

On the right, the koru is expressed as the sweeping form of an unfurling silver fern frond, while two more stylised interpretations appear below, including the distinctive round koru form often seen in carved pendants. Inspired by the unfurling fronds of our native ferns, the koru is widely associated with new life, growth and renewal.

Beneath them all is one simple word: aroha.

Together, the different elements make this a particularly rich celebration of Aotearoa, bringing together references to our native plants, land and sea, connection, growth and love.

We handcraft each stone here in Hawke's Bay using our own porcelain clay recipe, blended with New Zealand kaolin. After glazing, the Taonga artwork is applied using a ceramic transfer made from Jen's original design. The transfer is produced especially for this artwork and isn't commercially available. The piece is then fired again to permanently fuse the decoration to the glaze.

At approximately 10 cm high x 10 cm wide, it's a compact piece of New Zealand wall art with an extraordinary amount of detail to discover.

Each porcelain stone is handmade and individually trimmed, so its shape will vary slightly from piece to piece. A wire loop is permanently embedded into the back, ready for hanging.

Details

• Handcrafted porcelain wall art
• Original Taonga design
• Kōwhai, double Pikorua, Matau, koru and silver fern-inspired motifs
• Aroha detail
• White glazed porcelain with rich red decoration
• Original ceramic transfer, produced especially for this design
• Approximately 10 cm high x 10 cm wide
• Individually trimmed, so shape will vary slightly
• Embedded wire loop for hanging
• Handmade in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Handcrafted by Bright Side Ceramics in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.

About this design: Taonga is an original JS Ceramics design by Jen in Te Puke. After Jen stepped away from ceramics, Bright Side Ceramics, our ceramics brand here at Dee's Bees, acquired the collection so these distinctive New Zealand designs could continue to be made. Today we handcraft it in Hawke's Bay as part of our Land and Sea Collection.