Vaas met goudglanzende blauwe glazuur c. 1910 - 1920

Editor: Here we have "Vaas met goudglanzende blauwe glazuur," a ceramic vase with gold-glowing blue glaze made sometime between 1910 and 1920 by St. Lukas. The glaze gives off an almost ethereal glow. It reminds me of something you might find deep underwater. What do you make of it? Curator: I see a vessel yearning to connect to primordial elements - water, certainly, as you point out, but also earth and light. The iridescence, that almost shimmering surface, carries echoes of ancient glasswork found in burial sites. Do you see how the blue doesn't just sit *on* the vase, but seems to emanate from within it? Editor: Yes, it’s as if the vase is lit from the inside. It feels both modern and ancient. Curator: Exactly! That is a key tension within Art Nouveau, isn’t it? Looking to the future whilst simultaneously plundering the past for motifs and techniques. That gold luster is particularly evocative. What does gold signify to you, personally? Editor: Wealth, beauty, permanence… a sort of idealized state. Curator: Precisely! It speaks to an enduring human desire for transformation, for elevating the mundane—in this case, an earthenware vase—into something precious and eternal through the application of skilled artistry. And isn't that the alchemic goal of art, ultimately? Editor: I’d never considered the gold quite that way before, it’s more than just decoration. Curator: It becomes symbolic, embedded with meaning and historical weight. Every choice, even colour and glaze, is a whisper from the past trying to speak to the present. Editor: This vase makes a lot more sense to me now, thanks for clarifying that! Curator: My pleasure; seeing the past in the present enriches both!