Cygno Neocoleoidea

Influence

View Artifact

Terracotta stirrup jar with octopus
ca. 1200–1100 B.C.
Helladic, Mycenaean
The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

View Artifact

Terracotta jug
ca. 2900–2300 B.C.
Minoan
The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Synopsis

Background

Kamares ware jugs from the Bronze-Age Minoan civilization are vessels in various shapes that are decorated with delicate patterns or images from the natural world that are full of movement. Most of these pieces have been painted with a dark background and also include bold red and white animal, plant, and marine motifs, including octopuses and fish.

Some of the most iconic Kamares ware jugs were famous because they featured very thin eggshell-like walls, which show the skill, craftsmanship, and intense focus of the pottery designers at that time. Because of the vast trade networks across the Mediterranean sea in the Middle and Late Bronze Age, the cultural influence of Minoan pottery could be found in ancient Egyptian, Mycenaean, and other Greek civilizations.

Metaphor

One of the main challenges of making this jug was to manipulate the jug design from thousands of years ago so that it also included 1920s Art Deco influences, giving this ancient pottery a very modern appearance. I designed the jug in the shape of a seahorse because marine motifs often appeared in Kamares ware jugs, reflecting the importance of the sea in ancient Minoan culture.

Biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge was to be able to make a curved-geometric or rounded-shape jug into a seahorse-like shape, and include a three-dimensional “basso-relievo,” or a low relief, where octopuses project slightly from the background against an abstract design from both Minoan and Mycenean cultures. (During the expansion of Mycenaean civilization that took over the Minoan region in 1450 BCE, Mycenaean pottery was strongly influenced by the Minoan culture). Furthermore, I wanted to also add the influence of 1920s Art Deco movements, showing the similarities between the designs of these two very different periods.

Biggest struggle?

The biggest struggle was to connect and seal the main belly part of the jug with the neck part smoothly from the inside. This was quite difficult because the neck of the jug was narrow, and I needed to seal the neck part closely with the belly part without air bubbles. Furthermore, the jug had to be smooth inside so that it can store the maximum amount of water and can also be cleaned easily.