Vaas met decor van twee tekkels c. 1903 - 1908

This vase was made by De Dordtsche Kunstpotterij and is decorated with two dachshunds. What strikes me is the light blue glaze, it reminds me of watercolours, where you can build up depth by layering translucent washes. The artist really seemed to embrace the physical properties of the glaze itself. Look closely and you’ll see a fine crackle effect all over the surface; almost like the material is aged or fragile in some way. The two dachshunds are placed opposite each other, creating a playful mirroring effect, this gives the vase a sense of balance and harmony, which is quite beautiful. I like how the dachshunds are highly stylised, they are reduced to simple geometric forms, a bit like symbols or emblems. It makes me think about how we represent animals in art and how we use them to project our own ideas and emotions. In some ways this reminds me of the work of Fernand Léger, who also simplified objects into their essential forms. Ultimately, it's the imperfection and ambiguity that make this piece so appealing.