Description

Cast by hand in the Wild Goose Studio, Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. This plaque of the Dante quotation "Nature is the art of God" has an outer shell of pure bronze with an inner core of cast resin material for stability. Each Wild Goose piece is made entirely by hand, with no two being exactly alike.

Since ancient times, bronze has been a highly prized metal for the making of tools, jewelry and statues. It is an alloy of copper, which was first mined in Ireland over 4000 years ago. Left to weather, it will acquire a green patina; polished it will shine like gold.

The quotation "La Natura e L'Arte di Dio" meaning "Nature is the art of God" is attributed to Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), author of the classic literary work, The Divine Comedy: Purgatorio, Inferno, Paradiso.

Michelangelo said of Dante: It is not possible to say how much we owe to him, because his splendour blinds our eyes... Always he was near to God."

This plaque is from an original carved design by Irish artist Kathleen Smyth. Fuschias, a beautiful form of God's natural art, decorate the top of the plaque. These lovely flowers grow in wild abandon all along the hedgerows of West Cork, Ireland, where the artist lives and where this plaque was made.

Approximately 9 inches wide, 6 inches tall, and 5/8 inch thick at the point of greatest depth.

To see a larger view, please click on the image.