Miniature tazza 1750 - 1775

This small ceramic tazza, a Whieldon type, presents a puzzle of earthy tones and mottled surfaces. Green and brown glazes meld, evocative of nature, of landscapes, and perhaps, alchemical experiments. The tazza form itself, a shallow cup on a pedestal, echoes ancient libation vessels. Recall the Minoan examples, used for pouring offerings to the gods. In a way this mottled pattern invites us to consider the patterns of nature; the idea of ‘mottling’, appears in Ancient Rome, where mottled marbles were highly valued for their natural patterns. Such forms and their decoration become imbued with layers of cultural memory, and the human desire to control and understand the natural world. The human mind finds patterns, just as it seeks order in chaos. Perhaps this piece hints at the way humans interact with, and perceive, nature; blurring the boundaries between the objective and the subjective. The spirit of nature, captured and contained.