Wallace Fountain 150th Anniversary Tea Towel designed by Robert Peters
A commissioned limited edition tea towel celebrating the cultural heritage of Lisburn designed by Robert Peters and printed by McCaw Allan, Lurgan.
The City of Lisburn displays two Wallace Fountains, one in Castle Gardens and one in Wallace Park. Wallace Fountains are symbolic of the best type of public/private partnership for the common good. For 150 years, the fountains, donated by Sir Richard Wallace, have continuously served the public in Paris, by dispensing free, clean drinking water delivered by the city water department to everyone. When they first appeared on the streets of Paris, they were a blessing to the poor people, who rarely had access to affordable clean water and were suffering health consequences as a result. The four Wallace caryatids, holding up the dome of the fountain, represent four virtues – kindness, simplicity, charity and sobriety. Each figure is different and can be distinguished by the way each bends her knees and by how each tunic is draped. However, which caryatid is which virtue is not apparent to the viewer. Some believe the four figures also represent the four seasons and the passage of time and have identified them as follows: Kindness – left knee bent, knees covered, Winter; Simplicity – right knee bent, knee uncovered, Spring; Sobriety – right knee bent, knees covered, Autumn; Charity – left knee bent, knee uncovered, Summer.
The teatowels are also available from the Gallery.
For more information about the Paris fountains visit https://wallacefountains.org/
About the artist:
Robert has over 30 years experience of working in the visual arts sector as an exhibiting artist, curator, arts facility manager and educator. He established Arts Creative to realise the potential of art activities beyond the restrictions of bureaucratic constraints. The visual arts provide a limitless source of material and techniques through which to foster skill development, personal growth, community development, emotional wellbeing and issue awareness.