Suite of Vases: Plate 10
1746
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1746
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This etching shows a fancy vase covered in swirly leaves, twisting vines, and odd creatures that look half-bird, half-lizard. The artist mixed real vase shapes with wild, made-up details. Saly studied old Roman art in Rome but went off-script with his own imagination. It’s part of a set of 30 etchings he made in 1746. Most artists stuck to classic rules back then, but Saly played with fantasy instead. See how the lines curve and twist? It pulls your eye all over the page. Check out Jacques François Saly (French, 1717–1776) next.
