Two Designs for a Vase 1800 - 1900

This sheet presents two designs for a vase, created by an anonymous artist with pen and watercolor. The split design offers a comparative study in ornamentation, revealing how simple shifts in pattern and color can radically alter the object's character. Given its ornamental richness, this drawing emerges from a context deeply influenced by class and power. The vase, typically a vessel for display, becomes a canvas for intricate patterns and jewel-toned embellishments, evoking a sense of luxury. The contrast between the plain and ornamented sides begs the question: what does each design communicate about the intended owner? Is one for private display, the other for ostentatious showing? What does it mean to cloak an everyday object in layers of decoration, and how does this transformation affect our relationship to it? The drawing makes us consider the labor, skill, and social status embedded in such objects.