Friday, August 06, 2010

The object #12 Daisy vase

There was a time when I would have looked at a vase like this one and thought it a frumpy, ugly little thing. You might even agree, but I have come to an appreciation of pieces like this that is partly sentimental and partly aesthetic. It reminds me of my childhood. Not that we ever had anything like this in the house where I grew up. My parents' tastes ran to Scandinavian and modern design, as well as Asian design. This vase was the sort of piece seen in "old" people's homes. You would see this in homes with dark wood and scratchy, overstuffed furniture, festooned with crocheted doilies. Musty, dingy, old-fashioned, I thought, and thus, for me, undesirable. Our house was decorated with light colors and sleek furniture that floated on slender legs. Not a doily in sight, nor anything patterned with flowers. It was much later in my life that I learned to love a broader spectrum of style and design.

This is a vase made by Weller pottery, part of a style of pottery from the late 19th and early 20th century known as "art pottery." It is now collectible, but I think it was quite affordable in its day. This vase was a gift from someone who did not know me well, had never been in my home, but was a token of appreciation for some work I had done. I would never have bought this for myself. Probably never have really noticed it in an antique store. How, or why did she think it was something I would like? I don't know, but, paradoxically I do like it. Quite a lot. Of course, there is that soft, matte glaze—such a perfectly, perfect color. And the shape and size are just right for a small bunch of flowers. The daisy on the side is sweetly kitschy and maybe putting real daisies in it is just a little redundant, but it pleases me immensely.

Sometimes I don't even know what I want until someone gives it to me.

8 comments:

  1. I never really looked at antique pottery or anything until a few years ago. I kept reading online about people with their collections of McCoy. One day I was at an auction, and they had a box of McCoy pieces, all cracked, chipped, and glued back together. I bid on it, just to say I have a "collection" of McCoy now :) I love it.
    And next to my McCoy collection, on top of my piano, is a Weller vase. I bought it at an estate sale of a famous quilt collector whom I had helped create a database to catalog her collection. It too is chipped, so I was able to afford it. It reminds me of her.

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  2. Your parents tastes sound similar to mine, although I also like antiques and other things, especially art.

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  3. I think it enhances the daisies in an almost ironical way. Maybe it is funnier than the designer intended it to be -- and this way has become "kult", as we call it over here.

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  4. I love this vase. I collect art pottery and this is something I would purchase if I saw it today. I think it is absolutely charming with the real daisies.

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  5. I grew up with antiques and even now, love to mix the contemporary with the old. This is a beauty - and like you, something I would never have bought for myself. The daisies are just perfect with it!

    Our tastes do change and sometimes a gift from someone turns out to be truly a gift from the universe.

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  6. I like it was well. For some reason, I always associate that colour with yellow and white daisies.

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  7. I like it a lot, too. It reminds me of a robin's egg. I'm a sucker for anything with daisies.

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  8. The daisies really make the vase, Terry. It is quite darling. I am not into antiques but this looks lovely.

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