Unique ceramic sculpture

156 x 48 cm

Summer Wheat has created a series of tulipière sculptures under the guidance of a 9th generation Sicilian ceramic artist using clay dug from the region. Each vessel is painted with elaborate hunting scenes and crowned by a female hunter fighting a different animal: snake, alligator, jaguar, or lion. Various mythologies often personify these animals in relation to women. Snakes are a symbol of transformation; alligators represent knowledge because of their lengthy time on earth; jaguars are agile and aggressive predators; lions sleep with their eyes open. Popular in seventeenth-century Europe as objects of luxury, tulipières served as ornate vases with multiple spouts for growing tulips. A large standing tulipière was considered a status symbol for its owner. For Wheat, this symbol of power is reconsidered as a marker of feminine strength.

To purchase this work please contact info@bravermangallery.com