delicate clothing

Delicate floral designs adorn this set of six cabinet knobs. Handcrafted from ceramic by India's Khalid Ali, the round knobs are perfect for livening up any kitchen or dresser.

Floral doors hide a scene of eternal attraction – the birth of the Baby Jesus. The Three Wise Men accompany Mary and Joseph, every figure attired in the typical clothing of the Peruvian Andes. Alejandro Chavez crafts this retablo altar entirely by hand, constructing a wood frame to house delicately painted figures.

Male rose-breasted grosbeaks, resplendent in a striking palette of black, white and rose-red hues, offer a breathtaking spectacle of colour and beauty. Guatemala’s Mauricio Morales brings this awe-inspiring creature to life in a meticulously hand-painted ceramic figurine. Every stroke of his brush is infused with a delicate touch, ensuring the preservation of its lovely shades with a protective wax coating. This versatile lifelike decorative accent can adorn both indoor and outdoor spaces as the bird stands gracefully on aluminium wire legs and its feet can be entwined around a perch or branch.

Delicate crosshatch patterns become brown floral tendrils in the style of ancient China, first used in Puebla in the mid-15th century. They adorn a curvaceous decorative jar and lid in subtle beige. Isabelle Collins works in the style and technique of classic Talavera ceramics to create a colorful ginger jar. This lidded vase is known in Mexico as a tibor; it was brought to Mexico from the Orient by way of the Philippines in the late 1500s.

"We use the same techniques and styles used in 16th-century Puebla. Classic Talavera used only six colors, all of which were natural glazes compounded at home with mineral pigments. We create our homemade paintbrushes using mule hair or horsehair from the mane or tail, according to the thickness desired for our motifs," the artisan confides.