Card (DM Collection): Heart of Grass

This card shows a water colour illustration, by Daniel Mackie, of a heart of grass.  The earliest depictions of the use of the heart symbol is believed to derive from the ancient culture of Cyrene, a North African city which was founded by the Greeks in 631 BC, and then later ruled by the Romans. Situated beside the Mediterranean Sea in the region now known as Libya, Cyrene was a hub for merchants, and one of the main trades was a now extinct plant known as silphium. It’s no wonder this plant was highly sort after, as not only could it be used for seasoning food, it was also a perfume, a medicine for treating coughs, sore throats, warts, indigestion – the list goes on – and an aphrodisiac that doubled up as a contraceptive. The seedpod of the silphium plant resembled the shape of the heart symbol, and so it is suggested that this shape was first associated with love and sex. The plant was so important to the city’s economy that the outline of the heart shaped seedpod appeared on the side of circulating silver coins.   The DM Collection is a range of cards designed by award winning illustrator Daniel Mackie. There is a lose theme in Daniels work, “animals in their natural habitat”. As you’ll see, the creatures environment ended up inside the animal. Daniel took his inspiration from an unlikely source, navy tattoos! This unique card features a watercolour illustration of Koala Bears by Daniel Mackie and is printed in the UK from sustainable and recycled sources. Card is blank inside so that it can be used for any purpose.  Dimensions of card 12.6cm x 17.8cm.  Cards are printed on high quality 300gsm card.  Each card is packed with an envelope and is protected in a cellophane bag.