Vase with face 1892 - 1893

Here is the audio guide text for the artwork provided: This ceramic vase with a face was crafted by Pierre-Adrien Dalpayrat, though its specific date remains unknown. The vase compels us with its tactile materiality and the dynamic interplay of its earthy colours. A face emerges from the rough surface. Its serene expression contrasts dramatically with the turbulent glazes that seem to both reveal and conceal it. The vase challenges traditional notions of form and function. Dalpayrat destabilizes the conventional purity of ceramic art by merging the functional vessel with human figuration. The mottled surface, achieved through experimental firing techniques, reflects broader artistic movements of the late 19th century that questioned fixed categories of art and design. Notice how the artist integrates the face into the vase's structure, making it an intrinsic part of the whole. This fusion of form and content invites us to consider how art can challenge fixed meanings and engage with new ways of perceiving the relationship between object, image, and viewer.