Hey There Delilah

Although I expect I will always have a herd of little horses on my shelf, my peak acquiring days are long since past. For me to add a new horse to my collection now, it has to be pretty special.

This one is.

Meet Hey There Delilah. She is a Breyer Connoisseur Giselle - the china version! -  custom glazed by Karen Gerhardt.

Back in 2008, Karen received two rare, unpainted, bisque copies of Giselle as payment for some graphic design work she'd done for Breyer. This one was started in the spring of 2009, while Karen's husband was in England and she was still at home in Boulder. She was finished the following summer. The other - still unpainted - resides in Karen's studio. 

Karen says this model represents some big personal china glazing milestones, including subtle dapples and soft changes in color and shading.

I absolutely love her.

Giselle is one of my favorite Breyer molds, and to own her in china, with finishwork by Karen... Well, that's pretty a dream come true.

It's fitting that as I was taking these photos, a heart kept showing up on her right hip. That's a reflection, not a marking, but it truly sums up the way I feel when I look at this horse.

Thank you so much, Karen. I am honored to be the caretaker of Hey There Delilah.