Pair of beaker vases 1720 - 1735

These beaker vases, likely crafted at the Meissen Manufactory, present a vision brimming with symbols of nature's bounty. Vines laden with grapes intertwine with foliage and birds, evoking a sense of idyllic harmony and fertility, but also hinting at the cycle of life and the passage of time. Such motifs—the grapevines, in particular—echo back to ancient Dionysian feasts and bacchanals, rituals deeply rooted in the human experience of intoxication and spiritual ecstasy. Throughout centuries, the image of grapevines reappears, sometimes tied to religious symbolism, as in Christianity, where it represents the blood of Christ, or in secular art as a symbol of abundance and pleasure. Consider how these symbols have evolved; what once may have been purely ritualistic gradually transformed into expressions of both sacred and profane revelry. The collective memory of these symbols, charged with potent emotions, engages us still, stirring a primordial yearning for connection with nature and the divine.