Mandolin 1900

Angelo Mannello crafted this mandolin, held at the Metropolitan Museum, with inlaid arabesques that echo patterns found throughout history. These motifs are a dance of vines and leaves, commonly used to evoke paradise and growth, traceable back to ancient Roman frescoes, symbolizing life's abundance. Consider how this ornamental exuberance, this 'horror vacui,' reappears across eras. We see a similar impulse in medieval illuminated manuscripts, filling every space with intricate detail, a subconscious need to ward off emptiness. Even the mandolin's teardrop shape resonates. It evokes not only the musical note it produces but also echoes the ancient symbol of the womb—a vessel of creation. Such shapes engage our deepest memory, tapping into the wellspring of human experience. These forms aren't merely decorative; they are carriers of collective memory, resurfacing in our art, evolving, yet forever tied to the echoes of the past.