Belleek Ireland Cream Basket Weave Vase with Green Shamrocks (First Gold Mark)

At 17 cm tall and 9 cm wide, this Belleek basket weave vase with its green shamrock decoration and soft cream lustre finish is a classic of the Belleek canon, the tall, elegant form and the distinctly Irish character of the shamrock motif combining to produce a piece that carries the spirit of Irish craft and identity in every detail.

Made at the Belleek Pottery in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, and marked with the First Gold Mark, which dates the piece to the 20th century, this vase is shaped with the house's signature basket weave moulding and decorated with green shamrock motifs in the soft cream lustre that has made Belleek one of the most collected names in fine porcelain. The Belleek Pottery, founded in 1857, developed its distinctive basket weave moulding in the 1860s, and the combination of the basket weave form with shamrock decoration in the cream lustre finish is one of the most enduringly popular and widely collected of all Belleek designs, the shamrock motif giving the piece a specifically Irish identity that connects it to the Belleek tradition of celebrating Irish natural and cultural heritage in its decorative work. The tall vase form, with its gently tapering body and open rim, gives the shamrock decoration a vertical emphasis that suits the climbing, trailing character of the plant. The piece is in very good condition throughout.

• Maker: Belleek Pottery, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
• Mark: First Gold Mark, 20th century
• Dimensions: 17 cm (H) x 9 cm (W)
• Condition: Very Good
• Features: Basket weave moulding, green shamrock decoration, cream lustre finish, tall vase form
• SKU: SKU-00188

A graceful and distinctly Irish Belleek collector's piece. Pairs naturally with the basket weave vase with fluted neck (SKU-00192), the Fifth Mark vase (SKU-00213), and the wider Belleek collection.