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Notes

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You can almost see the wine in the chalice on this intricately decorated greetings card. It was designed by George Bain. The rich colours give it an almost 3D effect. The overflowing contents are shown as spirals, some of which extend into knotwork. The stippling gives the effect of floating in liquid.

The body of the cup is decorated with pairs of intertwined birds, symbols of friendship. Their wings are folded and their necks entwined, forming an elaborate interlacing. The words, in Scottish Gaelic and English, are reminiscent of those in the 23rd Psalm. It begins ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’ and contains the line ‘Thou annointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over’.

The card was used by Chirsty, George Bain’s elder daughter, who sent it to her husband Zbigniew Lomnicki.