Vase (one of a pair) 1730 - 1740

This porcelain vase was produced by the Meissen Manufactory, and its surface is alive with symbols that speak across cultures. Observe the flowers: they’re not mere decorations, but carriers of layered meanings. The chrysanthemum, for example, a symbol of longevity and joviality, originates in the East, yet here it is, blooming on European porcelain, a testament to the cross-cultural exchange of ideas. See how flowers are used across cultures in association with funerary rites, or renewal and rebirth. The vase is adorned with figures and landscapes, reflecting an idealized vision of life, recurring motifs from the East—images that have migrated and transformed, carrying emotional charges from one context to another. Such images are imbued with the power to evoke collective memories, engaging us on a subconscious level. It is not merely a decorative object, but a vessel of cultural memory, echoing and reshaping ancient themes in a new aesthetic language.