Vase 1886

This lustrous vase was produced between 1872 and 1889 by the Chelsea Keramic Art Works. Its delicate form, reminiscent of ancient unguentaria, reveals a fascinating interplay between color, texture, and symbolic form. Notice the gradient from fiery reds to somber blacks, an aesthetic choice rooted in the Romantic era’s fascination with transformation and the sublime. The vase's rounded base and slender neck, a classic form, can be traced back through countless iterations across time and cultures. The vase form itself, a vessel, echoes the primordial vessel—a symbol of nurturing, potential, and the cyclical nature of life and death. Similar shapes appear in ancient Greek amphorae and Renaissance ewers. Each vessel carries with it a history of use, ritual, and artistic expression, demonstrating how collective memory can shape our understanding and interpretation of the most basic forms. This cyclical progression emphasizes the continuous re-emergence and transformation of symbols across different epochs.