Versailles, Vase par Ballin 1905

Eugène Atget captured this vase at Versailles with his camera. The vase is adorned with reliefs, likely depicting classical scenes, reflecting a deep reverence for antiquity that permeated the period. Note the handles, shaped as entwined serpents. These echo images of the caduceus, the staff of Hermes, a symbol of balance and negotiation, but also trickery. The serpent, present across cultures from the Near East to Mesoamerica, embodies primal forces: healing, poison, life, and death. Consider the emotional weight of these symbols. The sculpted figures, frozen in time, evoke a longing for a lost golden age, a common theme in art since the Renaissance. Like a recurring dream, these motifs resurface across centuries, adapting to new contexts, yet still resonating with our subconscious fears and desires. The vase, then, becomes more than mere decoration; it is a vessel carrying centuries of collective memory.