Jug 1790 - 1830

This modest jug, crafted in an anonymous workshop, offers a curious echo of history. The vessel swells, a womb-like form, suggesting containment, sustenance, and perhaps, a hint of intoxication. Note the recurring motif of the circle - a primal symbol found in every culture, from ancient sun worship to Jungian mandalas representing wholeness. These scattered orbs, reminiscent of the spots on archaic pottery, evoke the cyclical nature of life. They are the sun, the moon, the wheel of fortune, and the Ouroboros, that ancient serpent eating its own tail. Consider, too, the jug's handle: an ear, a question mark, an invitation to be grasped, turned, and listened to. It mirrors the Greek amphora, vessels which once carried wine and oil, and thus also the Dionysian revelry which links ecstasy with chaos. These forms are not merely decorative; they are psychic conduits. They pull on our collective memory, whispering tales of ancient rituals, shared libations, and the human thirst for both the earthly and divine. The jug, thus, is a vessel of not just liquid, but of time itself.