To this day horse racing is an important community event in Ireland, and being excluded from the ownership of horses, as they were in Cromwell's time, was a sore trial to the Irish people. The roots of their love of horses lie deep in the past.

This horse is actually from a Viking image. While the Celts and the Vikings have been seen as traditional enemies - they actually have many cultural ideas in common - one of the reasons the Vikings were able to successfully colonize Ireland. In both cultures the horse was associated with royalty.

While all my work is made of enamel, most is made in a technique called champlevé. It is a fairly complicated process that takes at least 5 days to complete.

The shape is cut by hand from flat copper, and then painted with an etch resist. This resist must cure for 24 hours before being refined with a pin, and then given a second coat. The piece is then immersed in a corrosive solution for 24 hours before being ready to be enamelled. Each piece is then inlaid and fired from 5 to 7 times, and then sanded, refired and polished.

Piece is approx 2" x 2"

Have any questions? Contact the shop owner.