The Treasure

And there is another category: the Treasure, urging us to desire it.

In this category, the subject may be human, or might as easily be a lion, rabbit,

rose, sailing ship, butterfly, locomotive, a pop star, a beautiful lady from a far off land, a swan…

They may display no overt emotion in the way, say, that expression of joy, or dreams,

or kindnesses may, but they embody emotion in their movement, shape

and colour, and in their associations.

The egrets are a symphony of attenuated shapes – beaks, necks, wings, feathers,

legs, and this is reiterated in the form of the bulrushes and their leaves. This attenuation conveys

a strong sense of grace, and inspires reverence in the birds. There is also the wonderful Lladró sense of lightness

– wings, heads, one foot all float, poised for the next graceful motion.

There are also wonderful feminine curves flowing through the necks, and from one bird to the other.

The white picks up the theme of grace and lightness, too, adding to its impact.

This is a treasure to marvel at, to revere, to inspire tranquillity,

and to wonder at the beauty of nature.

The gazelles, too, are a marvel of attenuated forms

and graceful feminine curves, combined with that sense of lightness – effortlessly

floating mid bound over the slender, attenuated grasses. Unlike the egrets, though,

the gazelles also feature rounded forms – in the shapes of the body and the heads.

They are more ‘pettable’ than the egrets, and not only because of the

exclamatory point of the egrets’ beaks.

The dog moves further down this path.

It too has slender shapes – the front legs, the neck, the tail,

and the whole length of the body. It too has a sense of lightness,

and ease, particularly in the relaxed way its right paw rests on its left,

and how the tail hangs over the back paws. There are sensuous undulations here too –

in the curve of the front legs, the neck, and the tail. But this creature is more solid

than the gazelles, particularly in the muzzle. Its squareness suggests a

strength and reliability not present in the other two. And note

the slight tilt to the head, which together with the other

features brilliantly captures a moment of relaxed,

graceful curiosity. This is the first of the three

Lladró archetypal dogs – the noble protector.

(The others are the playful puppy,

and the tenacious sports

dog.)