Pitcher 1894 - 1897

This pitcher was created around 1897 by the Chittenango Pottery Company. Take note of the prominent grape motif, a symbol deeply embedded in cultural memory. Grapes have ancient ties to fertility, abundance, and transformation, particularly through their association with wine. Consider the Dionysian mysteries of ancient Greece, where wine was a sacred medium for ecstatic release and spiritual insight. This motif resurfaces in Christianity, where grapes and wine symbolize the blood of Christ, representing sacrifice and redemption. We see the grape motif similarly used in Bacchus paintings throughout the ages, like Caravaggio's. The choice of the grape motif in a humble pitcher invokes not only pleasure, but also a shared cultural and spiritual heritage.