Vaas met twee handvatten in de vorm van boomstammen c. 1650

This print by Georges Tournier depicts a vase with two handles in the form of tree trunks. Its material is ink on paper, but the image renders a complex, three-dimensional object. What is most fascinating is the way that the material of the vase is used to evoke nature. The two handles give the illusion of being rough-hewn branches, adding a touch of rustic charm to the refined form. The body of the vase is decorated with foliage, evoking the luxuriance of a garden. The bearded face at the center suggests a mythical figure of the forest. We might think of this as a kind of material ventriloquism – one substance pretending to be another. But the truth is more complex than that. Tournier, who was working in the orbit of the French court, would have understood that this kind of skillful artifice, and the labor that goes into it, was a value in itself. By looking closely, we can see this vase not just as a representation of nature, but as a testament to the human skill that can transform raw materials into things of beauty.