Trivet c. 1942

Violet Hartenstein painted this trivet of intersecting circles and floral and heart motifs in the late 19th or early 20th century. Here, we see a combination of symbols—the rosette, circles, and the heart—each with deep roots in human history. Consider the rosette at the center, its petals radiating outwards. This ancient symbol appears as far back as Mesopotamia, representing cosmic order and divine radiance. The heart is also there, pointing to the seat of emotions, and the essence of love. We can see in illuminated manuscripts, in rose windows of Gothic cathedrals, and even in modern logos, how the symbol is constantly being reborn. Similarly, the heart, once associated with the physical organ, now universally signifies affection. In this trivet, the symbols are interwoven, blurring the sacred and the secular, the practical and the emotional. The very act of repetition and reinterpretation speaks to the enduring power of the image.