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#EJSHeroes - influences of the magical Pegasus design

To celebrate our upcoming birthday, we'll be reminiscing over some of our favourite designs from the past 5 years in the lead up to the big day in September. To continue our look-back, we invite you to take a closer look at the etherial Pegasus illustration, which consists of surreal EJS elements such as clockwork detailing and a tail made of foliage...

The magnificent Pegasus illustration, featuring a clockwork detail and foliage-tails.

Inspiration for the Pegasus design came from well-known myths and legends; the pure white Pegasus was depicted as a beautiful winged horse and was one of the common creatures in ancient Greek mythology. It was often described as a goodhearted, gentle creature, as well as naive but always eager to help. In a much-loved tale, the Greek hero Bellerophon tamed and captured the Pegasus, which helped him in his battles against the Chimera and the Amazons.

Artist credit: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo - Bellerophon on Pegasus, 1746 - 1747

"We were inspired by the fantastical world created by the Spanish artist, mixing animal features with surreal elements to develop an imaginative Pegasus."

A lesser-known source of inspiration for this resplendent beast comes from the conceptual artist Joan Fontcuberta. His 'Stranger than Fiction' exhibition in 2014 at the Science Museum, London, inspired Emma to draw such a unique creature - Fontcuberta created six fictional documentaries, mixing fact with fiction and science with art. The realistic yet subversive photography tricks the eye into believing what you see, including fantasy mermaid fossils or fused new specimens of fauna.

Photo credit left: Cercophitecus Icarocornu from the Fauna series by Joan Fontcuberta and Pere Formiguera 1985.

We were inspired by the fantastical world created by the Spanish artist, mixing animal features with surreal elements to develop an imaginative Pegasus. Browse our range of scarves, cushions and prints featuring this magical being here