Moorcroft Pottery The Dell Jug JU9

The Dell echoes a beautiful watercolour orchid illustration, from the brush strokes of Nelly Roberts, an RHS orchid illustrator born in the 19th century. Cattleya Dupreana gx 'The Dell', a hybrid between Cattleya warneri x Cattleya warscewiczii, was bred by M. Firmin Lambeau of Brussels shortly before 1906. ‘The Dell’ was a clone name provided by Baron Sir John Henry William Schroeder, member of the RHS Orchid Committee from 1889. Baron Schroeder often used the name ‘The Dell’ for orchids he had selected. This particular clone was awarded a First Class Certificate by the RHS on 2 July 1912, which is how it came to be painted by Nellie Roberts. It proved to be very popular with orchid breeders and is currently the parent of 146 other registered hybrids. Designer, Nicola Slaney, harnesses the orchid’s lip of deep, rich purple and mustard yellow. Fanned from above with the gentle curves of a heather purple dorsal sepal, the designer has pushed what is feasible in ceramic alchemy to another level. To give the design balance on this Moorcroft jug, Nicola adds stems to Nelly’s original watercolour, allowing the spikes of deep green to become tail feathers that launch the sepals and petals into a kaleidoscope of colour.