Design for a large Vase representing 'Fire', Plate 6 from: 'Neu inventierte Vasi auf die neueste manier' 1745 - 1755

Curator: This is Plate 6 from Jacob Gottlieb Thelot's 'Neu inventierte Vasi auf die neueste manier', a series dating from 1745-1755. This etching presents a design for a large vase representing 'Fire,' currently held here at the Met. Editor: Wow, it's visually explosive. The vase is almost overflowing with energy. All those baroque details create such a dynamic, if chaotic, image. Curator: Indeed. Notice the strategic deployment of symbolic motifs— the flames at the peak suggest a transformative force. Consider how this vase, intended as a functional object, is imbued with complex symbolic meanings related to fire, not only in its destructive form, but also in its form as a source of enlightenment and creative energy. Editor: It's also quite literally supported, perhaps, by colonial narratives. The putti near the base and that man with what appears to be a musket and feather plumed hat seem almost incidental at first, yet they root this ornamental design firmly within the exploitative landscape of 18th-century power dynamics. Curator: An interesting read! Could it be that they represent Ignis Fatuus or sprites who were said to guard over fiery landscapes? Consider also that period artists and designers frequently included elements that conveyed allegorical messages beyond simple aesthetics, for an aristocratic audience attuned to decoding visual metaphors. The serpents twining around the vase, for example, could allude to transformative energy, and also potential danger. Editor: Perhaps. But placing those specific figures in attendance to a personified vase of ‘Fire’ inevitably speaks to how access to fire – as a source of power, warmth, and industry – was predicated on imbalanced human relationships on many fronts: gendered, classed and racialized bodies. Even in its representation, luxury goods rely on that context to convey a fuller picture. Curator: I can certainly appreciate your reading in how it invites a critical inquiry regarding historical imbalances. But, from another perspective, this imagery creates a sense of wonder and invites contemplation on humanity’s enduring fascination with natural phenomena. Editor: It certainly succeeds as a dazzling showpiece, demonstrating its commitment to the style and artistry of the time! It's still vital that we approach the artistry with a consciousness to its inherent ties with colonial systems of extraction and that its inherent power structures, made possible by so much violence and labor. Curator: Precisely. A potent visual expression and a vital catalyst for historical reflection, inviting conversation on our collective legacy of conquest and creative ambition.