Jug c. 1938

Editor: Here we have Yolande Delasser's "Jug," created around 1938, rendered in drawing, likely charcoal on paper depicting ceramic. The simple design and earthy tones give it such a rustic feel, almost nostalgic. What jumps out at you when you look at this? Curator: The lily. The cobalt blue floral design immediately speaks to a lineage of decoration. Think Pennsylvania Dutch folk art - a single, bold motif conveying notions of prosperity, perhaps even spirituality within a domestic context. It roots this object, and the drawing of it, in a particular cultural memory. Editor: I hadn't considered the Pennsylvania Dutch influence. Is that common for ceramic jugs of this period? Curator: The drawing seems to want us to believe so. Delasser highlights the decoration as a cultural artifact worthy of documentation. I wonder what the flower symbolizes. What does the lily mean to you in this drawing? Editor: Purity? Simplicity? The lily, in contrast with this very grounded form – the jug – maybe suggests elevating the everyday. Curator: Precisely! Notice also the lettering above the flower, though faint, this adds to its specific identity. Every mark becomes significant. Are we meant to appreciate the beauty of this useful object, or its cultural heritage, or both? Editor: Both, definitely both! Thinking about it as more than just a jug – about its symbolic weight – completely changes my perspective. Curator: Indeed. These everyday objects carry far more cultural significance than we often realize. Editor: Thank you; I'll definitely be looking at pottery differently from now on!