Stone Flask c. 1938

Vincent P. Rosel rendered this stone flask with precise detail in his drawing. The flask, a vessel of containment, echoes the most primal of forms: the womb. The rounded belly of the flask swells, full of potential, like the pregnant earth. The opening at the top is a symbol of birth. A container of liquid, it is reminiscent of the amphorae of ancient Greece, which carried wine and oil, and of the reliquaries of medieval Europe, vessels for sacred remains. Consider also how its form connects to ancient fertility figures, those corpulent Venuses promising abundance. Vessels such as this one, across time, cultures, and functions, tap into our collective memories of sustenance, life, and the sacred. It is this cyclical return to primal forms that engages our subconscious, reminding us of the enduring power of creation and preservation.