Ewer with quatrefoil motifs 1870

This ceramic ewer, crafted by Minton, is adorned with quatrefoil motifs, symbols with roots stretching back to antiquity. The quatrefoil, resembling a four-leafed flower, appears across cultures. In Christian iconography, it often symbolizes the four evangelists or the cross itself, a powerful emblem of faith. Yet, long before its Christian adoption, variations of this motif appeared in ancient art, sometimes associated with cosmic diagrams. Notice how the ewer's handle terminates in a spiral, echoing the ancient symbol of life's cyclical nature. Similarly, the human face emerging from the ewer's neck recalls the masks of ancient Greek theatre. Such masks embodied a range of emotions—joy, sorrow, fear—allowing viewers to experience catharsis. This ceramic echoes those primal human states, resonating with our own inner experiences across the corridors of time. The persistent reappearance of these symbols speaks to a collective memory, a deep well of human experience that transcends epochs, constantly resurfacing and being reshaped in each new era.