Collioure Shorebird Sculpture, Set of Five Wading Birds on a Timber Plinth

A flock of five wading birds caught mid-step on a timber plinth, sculpted in a softly limewashed walnut tone that recalls a quiet morning on the French coast.

Collioure is a tabletop sculpture of five shorebirds, posed mid-step with long curved beaks and slender iron legs, mounted at staggered heights on a rectangular fir wood plinth. The birds are sculpted in a softly limewashed walnut tone, with the grain catching the light to read as gently weathered, like driftwood pulled from a tideline.

Named for Collioure, the fishing port on the Côte Vermeille in the south of France where Matisse and Derain painted Fauvism into being, this piece carries the quiet poetry of a coastal village morning. At 46 cm wide, 10 cm deep and 35 cm tall, Collioure works beautifully as a coffee table centrepiece, a hallway console anchor, a bookshelf companion or a bathroom shelf detail. The narrow 10 cm depth means she fits where most sculptures cannot.

Why we love it

• ◆ Five birds, one composition, the staggered heights and turned heads read as a real flock caught between steps rather than a row of matching figures.
• ◆ A piece with a story, named for Collioure on the southern French coast, a port town famous for its painters, its anchovies and the morning birds that work the shore.
• ◆ Softly limewashed walnut, the finish lets the grain show through with a pale wash that reads as quietly aged rather than glossy or new.
• ◆ Slim 10 cm depth, fits a narrow shelf, a console edge or a bathroom ledge where a deeper sculpture would crowd the surface.

How to style it

Collioure carries a coastal poetry that's quiet rather than themed. A few ways to bring her into the home.

• Centre on a round coffee table with a stack of art books and a low ceramic bowl for a softly collected vignette.
• Anchor a hallway console between two table lamps with a framed vintage map or shoreline print hung above.
• Place on a bathroom shelf or window ledge with linen towels and a pot of cotton lavender for a relaxed seaside-bathroom feel.
• Group with our other sculptural pieces on an open shelf for a curated, gathered-over-time look.

Care & Keeping

Dust gently with a soft dry cloth or a soft brush, reaching into the gaps between the birds and around the iron legs. Avoid harsh chemicals, abrasive cleaners, and prolonged contact with water as these can lift the limewashed finish. Keep Collioure out of direct sunlight to preserve the pale tone of the wash, and indoors only.

Because Collioure is hand-finished, slight variations in grain, the limewash depth and the timber tone of the plinth are natural and add to the unique character of each piece. Colour may also vary slightly between screens, all photography is taken in natural light.