A very rare find, this Raul Coronel Stoneware Designs Inc. mosaic is the largest in the series. Often referred to as the Tree of Life, or Partridges - the Stoneware Designs catalogue listed this piece as Six Nesting Birds in warm related colors. The scale is massive standing 5'H. It is very difficult to find Coronel's mosaics intact. This example is excellent, with no missing or broken pieces, and includes the Coronel signature plaque, often missing from these pieces. It is mounted on its original burlap backing. There is crackle glass incorporated into the stoneware pieces giving the piece an ever-changing glow in various lighting conditions. The piece retains its original Stoneware Designs Inc. sticker on back. Zoom in on photos for detail. This piece has a very interesting provenance, having been acquired from the estate of Walter Schneider - a partner in the iconic Stoneware Designs Inc., along with Raul Coronel and Brent Bennett. Approx. Dims: 61-1/8"H x 31"W x 1-3/4"D Raul Angulo Coronel (1926-) was born in the Mexico and immigrated to the United States and served in the US Marine Corps in WWII. He attended UC Berkeley and earned a degree in Business Administration. In the early 1950s he studied art at the University of Hawaii, and attended the College of Arts & Crafts in Oakland, California, where he met Peter Voulkos, and studied with former Bauhaus ceramist, Marguerite Wildenhain. Coronel moved to Los Angeles and opened his ceramic studio on Melrose Ave. His work was popular with top architects and designers and therefore were used in many prominent projects. He also designed pieces for Architectural Pottery and worked with Davis Cressey. In addition to his successful ceramic business, his work won many awards and continues to be shown in museum exhibitions.