by Louise Irvine The moon flask was one of the most popular forms of art pottery during the Aesthetic era in the late 19th century. Originally, the full moon porcelain surface was used to hand-paint symbolic designs for Chinese imperial palaces and was adopted later by Japanese artists. The European

by Louise Irvine Putti are personifications of the human spirit and emotions, including love, and are popular motifs in pottery and porcelain. Cupid, known as Eros to the Greeks, is famous today as a purveyor of love in Valentine's cards but he is just one of many cute infants who

by Louise Irvine Have you ever imagined yourself as a mermaid? Now your dream could come true with the 1000 Mermaids Project. Body scans of aspiring mermaids are being created for a public Eco-Art installation and artificial coral reef off the east coast of Florida. Discover more about mermaids in

by Louise Irvine Monster Soup was a startling satire on London’s drinking water in 1828. A horrified woman drops her teacup as she looks at a drop of Thames water through a microscope. The cartoon directed at the London water companies was drawn by William Heath when commissioners were appointed

by Louise Irvine Exotic creatures of the deep exerted a powerful fascination for glass artists during the Art Nouveau era. Shimmering shoals of fish in iridescent colors appealed particularly to René Lalique in the early 1900s. The public were receptive customers, eager to romanticize the natural world as an escape

by Louise Irvine Peacocks, exotic birds of paradise and imperial Chinese dragons soar through fiery red skies in our Innovations gallery. This iconic Sung peacock jardiniere has flown from England via Australia to Arizona before landing here in Florida. We are forever indebted to the late Dave Bearman for creating

by Louise Irvine Chihuly’s deep ties to the ocean in the Pacific Northwest have inspired his Seaforms, which are often reminiscent of the radial patterns on shells and sea urchins. Some of his undulating forms suggest translucent jellyfish with floating tendrils. However, his Seaforms evoke the ebb and flow of