Urn 1775 - 1800

This urn was made by the Wedgwood Manufactory, and it features a frieze of figures dancing along its belly, referencing classical antiquity. The ram’s head handles evoke a sense of virility and power, reminiscent of ancient pagan rituals. These heads connect to a lineage of Dionysian imagery that pulses through art history. We see the ram, the god's animal, in countless bacchanals and festivals across time. The procession around the urn echoes those scenes of revelry, where humans blur the boundaries between themselves and the animal world. Consider how these ancient symbols speak to our subconscious desires, a primal urge towards ecstasy. The ram, once a symbol of fertility and wildness, is here tamed, domesticated, and made decorative. A reminder of the power of symbols to transform and endure, constantly reshaped by the collective memory and subconscious impulses of each era.