The Moorcroft Pottery has had a wonderful response to the South African collection, featuring the wildlife of this beautiful country. Now they have launched the Lukimbi vase depicting the magnificent rhinoceros. This massive creature is one of South Africa's famous 'Big Five' animals which tourists endeavor to spot on safari. It is the largest remaining land animal, after the elephant, and weighs a ton or more, yet it is surprisingly elusive. The white rhino is now classed as 'vulnerable' but can be seen in the Kruger National Park, particularly near safari lodges like Lukimbi, where they enjoy the numerous pans and wallows.

Hugh Edwards, the Chairman of Moorcroft, visited Lukimbi and was so impressed by the rhinos that he commissioned Sian Leeper to design a vase showing them in their natural habitat. As you turn the new 10 inch vase, you see different views of this grass-eating giant: grazing in the bush; resting in the heat of the day; drinking at a waterhole with a young calf and proudly displaying its distinctive horns. The rhino has long been prized for its horn which has been used for ornamental and medicinal purposes. Drinking cups carved from rhino horn were said to detect poison and ground horn was reputed to be an aphrodisiac. Fortunately rhinos are now a protected species in South Africa with severe penalties for poachers.  

The panoramic scene on this limited edition vase is executed in minute detail by skilled artists at the Moorcroft Pottery in England, using traditional tube-lining techniques to capture evocative images of these impressive creatures. The vase is being sold exclusively by Pascoe and Company of Florida and is being produced in a limited edition of just 50 pieces.