Vase c. 1820

Adam Buck created this vase in an unknown year. It’s a world in miniature. Around the vase, we see women in classical robes, one guiding a chariot. This is an echo of ancient Roman imagery, a symbol of status and sophistication during Buck’s time. But let us not be fooled by its elegance. The image of the chariot itself—evokes the triumphs of antiquity and the power of the rulers, but here, the female figures soften the harshness, offering a dream of feminine strength and grace. The chariot also appears across centuries in myriad forms, from royal processions to depictions of mythological gods, each time carrying echoes of past grandeur. The deeper we look into the human psyche, the clearer it becomes that these gestures and symbols are not confined by time. The cyclical nature of symbols—how they resurface, evolve, and adapt across different epochs— speaks to our shared cultural memory. It is a reminder of the ever-turning wheel of history.