"Sloth" - Hippopotamus Decanter Set
Artist: Luis Alberto Quispe Aparicio
Stone source: Madagascar, Brazil, Afghanistan, & South Africa

The title of this statement piece is "Sloth." This objet d'art is part of the "Seven Deadly Sins" collection of decanter sets, that gemstone artist Luis Alberto Quispe Aparicio has set about to create. The scene is an ancient Roman spa, rendered in colorless Quartz, with accents of vermeil. The "water" in the bath is rich blue Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan, which has been carved with "ripples" because the hippos have been splashing and frolicking around. The hippos are indulging themselves - they are lounging around, in and out of the water, while golden birds flit about. The hippos are corpulent, extremely detailed, and have been excellently rendered in very fine Labradorite from Madagascar. The artist has paid a great deal of attention to the orientation of each piece of Labradorite, so that there are strong flashes of blue and gold emanating from each of the hippos. One of the decorative "columns" is actually the decanter for whatever beverage you want to place in it: wine, whiskey, or aperitif - you could also put in something non-alcoholic but that is not nearly as much fun! It has actually been carved from a single piece of Quartz, and has a fitted Quartz stopper. The shorter "columns" are actually a set of four matching glasses. One of the hippos is resting his, or her, head on a pillow of red Poppy Jasper; while another one is taking a nap, in the sun, on a Tiger's Eye couch. Everyone has joined in the fun, even "Junior" who has been bobbing up and down in the water. The artist's sense of humor and whimsy is evident throughout the piece. He selected "hippos" for this scene of decadence because they usually spend 20 hours of the day sleeping - a perfect match for the tableau he wanted to create. This exquisitely "wicked," one-of-a-kind set.

Overall Measurements: 23.0 x 20.9 x 14.5 inches (58.5 x 53.0 x 36.8 cm)