Two-handled vase with cover 1850 - 1899

Editor: Here we have a two-handled vase with a cover, likely crafted between 1850 and 1899 by Reinhold Vasters. It’s made of glass and categorized as decorative art, residing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The piece feels almost ethereal to me, particularly due to the transparency of the glass and its delicate ornamentation. How do you interpret the interplay of form and material in this vase? Curator: From a formalist perspective, this vase invites an examination of its structure and surface articulation. Consider the relationship between the clear glass body and the more ornate, opaque handles and base. The transparency allows light to penetrate, creating a sense of depth and volume, yet the applied decorations serve to contain and define that volume. Do you notice how the looping garlands emphasize the vessel's curves, directing the eye upward? Editor: I do. It's almost like the decoration reinforces the object’s own shape. Does that purposeful relationship imply meaning, or is it purely aesthetic? Curator: The inherent quality of glass invites metaphorical interpretation. Its fragility speaks to impermanence. More materially, note the contrast between the smooth, blown glass and the textured metalwork. One might say the artist played with dualities to evoke dynamism. Do you agree with my reading of opposing visual forces? Editor: I can definitely see those contrasting elements now, the fragile versus the sturdy. So even in something decorative like this, close examination of the formal qualities can open up potential interpretations. Curator: Precisely. Formal analysis provides the vocabulary for richer understanding of the artist’s choices and the artwork's intrinsic qualities, without needing to delve into broader contexts necessarily. Editor: That makes a lot of sense. I appreciate the fresh lens through which to observe a decorative-art piece!