1746
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Suite of Vases: Plate 22 is a 1746 by Jacques François Saly, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a tall, fancy vase covered in tiny carved figures—satyrs, animals, and grinning faces twisting up its sides. Saly drew these as practice sketches while studying in Rome. He never meant them to be real vases; they were just a way to show off his skill and imagination. The wild mix of creatures and faces made people in Paris excited about bringing back old myths in new designs. If you like these playful shapes, look up *grotesques* in the subject: france, 18th century.
Jacques François Joseph Saly created an etched suite of 30 imaginary vase designs while studying in Rome. Throughout the series, he let his skill and imagination run wild on the theme of bacchants by inventively incorporating animals, satyrs, and maenads—as well as faces and grotesques (fantastic figures and beasts)—into various designs. Published in Paris, the series nourished an appetite for the revival of mythological and classical elements in decorative arts, and may have also inspired Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s suite of bacchanalia images.
The shape of this vase mimics the ancient Greek krater, a vessel that was used for mixing wine with water.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Jacques François Joseph Saly, also known as Jacques Saly (20 June 1717 – 4 May 1776), French-born sculptor who worked in France, Italy and Malta.
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