Vase 1886 - 1890

Editor: So, we’re looking at a ceramic "Vase" made between 1886 and 1890 by the Faience Manufacturing Company, currently held at the Met. It's a beautiful, tall vase, mostly blue with golden birds and floral designs. The gold against that deep blue is so striking! What symbolic weight do you find in a piece like this? Curator: I'm immediately drawn to the symbolism inherent in the birds and flowers. Consider how often birds, particularly songbirds, appear as emblems of freedom, the soul, or even messages between worlds. And then the flowers – likely roses – historically associated with love, beauty, and secrecy. It suggests a narrative, doesn't it? What stories might these combined symbols be trying to tell? Editor: A secret message of love? I suppose that could fit the era, a time when open displays of affection weren't always acceptable. Curator: Precisely! And beyond the overt symbols, think about the very act of creating a vase. Vases hold things, protect them. They are often associated with ritual and domesticity. The Faience Manufacturing Company was based in the US, suggesting an interesting cultural memory being built through these carefully chosen, borrowed symbols. Do you see any tension between its form and decoration? Editor: Well, the classical vase shape feels very traditional and grounded, almost European, but the imagery feels lighter, more decorative, almost Asian-inspired… I see a fusion happening. Curator: An excellent observation! It hints at the emerging American identity, pulling from diverse cultural touchstones. Consider the psychological comfort these symbols may have offered a rapidly changing society, a nostalgic glance towards established traditions combined with the promise of a blossoming future. Editor: That's fascinating! I was so focused on the visual beauty, but I hadn’t thought about its role in shaping American cultural identity. Curator: It’s easy to get lost in the surface. But art is never just the surface, is it? Symbols speak, if we learn their language. Editor: Right, and sometimes they tell a story about who we are, where we are, and where we're going. Thank you.