Barrel-shaped tankard and cover with flowering plants in panels c. 1875 - 1949

This barrel-shaped tankard by Samson & Cie. is a little explosion of painted colour and pattern. I imagine the artist leaning into the task, moving the brush with freedom, following the curves of the ceramic. Look at how the panels create frames around the birds and the blooms! There’s something so satisfying about that push and pull between order and chaos. The birds and blooms are scattered with a generous hand, while the geometric patterns are a more measured affair. It makes me think about the way artists play with different languages, sometimes speaking in one, sometimes another. It’s all a big conversation, each artwork responding to what came before, adding its own voice to the mix. It’s like a painter whispering across time, sharing secrets of seeing and feeling.