Vase 1882 - 1890

This vase was produced by Ott and Brewer, a company operating in Trenton, New Jersey, during the late 19th century. Its creation reflects the burgeoning American ceramics industry and the aesthetic sensibilities of the Gilded Age. The vase's design, with its muted green background and gilded floral motifs, embodies the era's fascination with naturalism and luxury. But the choice of flora is not merely decorative; it’s a commentary on the cultural values of the time. Floral language was frequently employed by women to communicate sentiments, desires, and even protest. The vase thus becomes a symbol of both the constraints and the expressive potential available to women within the domestic sphere. Does it celebrate nature's beauty, or subtly challenge the gendered expectations of the time? This tension invites us to reflect on the lives of those who created and cherished such objects, and the silent dialogues they held with their world.