Emma Bridgewater Hellebore

There’s an old fashioned romance to a Hellebore that’s hard to resist and its distinctive charm has been captured so elegantly in Mary Fedden’s design for Emma Bridgewater – Mary being a much acclaimed and highly popular artist.

The design team at Stoke have captured the very essence of the original drawing by applying the design to the cream earthenware by sponge. Hand sponged flowers bringing a somewhat romantic feel to the pieces. Hues of Magenta, Mauve, and Purple give depth to the flower, double bell shaped petals gently cupping a striking yellow centre and the leaves are picked out in a muted green tinged with brown, all worked by hand making each piece totally unique.

Somehow Mary’s design, along with the brilliance of the potters at Emma Bridgewater, has managed to capture the very essence of the Hellebore plant. As a cottage garden plant heavenly hellebores are easy to grow and are care free. They are evergreen with glossy dark green leaves with flowers emerging as buds in January to March and are much valued by gardeners for bringing early colour into the garden.

There is something about this pattern which just smacks ‘Emma Bridgewater’ – it’s a true classic to be loved by all ages and as Emma says it’s a bit like a Chanel jacket – you can’t get enough of it!

The stunning Hellebore is a much used flower for decorative purposes so it’s no surprise that it is used here. Consider this Emma Bridgewater Hellebore range as an extension of the short flowering period by having it all year round in your home.

The plant is sometimes also more commonly called a Christmas rose or Lenten rose – even though they have nothing to do with rose family. It is mentioned in many an old legend, even Greek Mythology, and one such tale gives explanation for its more commonly known name by saying the plant sprouted in snow from tears of a young woman with no gift to bear the Christ child. Of course we don’t know whether this is true and it may just be to do with the proximity of its flowering season to this time in early winter together with its rose like appearance.

For gardeners, flower lovers or just appreciators of a fine design then this Emma Bridgewater pottery collection is the one to choose. A good starting point for your collection is the Hellebore Mug and French Bowl.