Preview
Upload Date
10-22-2025
Department
Classics
Label Text
This label invites you to look closely, and allows your eyes to wander. Look not for harmony, but for discovery.
Here sits a small vase with a round body and a narrow lip. Copper and green patches cover the surface. A short foot keeps it steady. The fired glaze makes a smooth skin. Thin bands and specks are visible in the light. What stories rest in this container before the photo was taken? Was it made for flowers, or simply to feel good in the hand? The marks show more than decoration. They show touch, heat and time. There should not be a harmony to viewing this picture. The eyes are drawn to parts of the object like flashes of light, guided only by curiosity.
I kept the streaks of light in the photo to show the curve against a dark background. Much of the scene is dark, so the imperfections stand out. The bright areas mark the rim, the shoulder, and the foot. Notice the color changes and the edges of the highlights. What details stand out to you?
Camera Settings: Aperture
f/16
Camera Settings: Shutter Speed
1/2
Camera Settings: ISO
100
Lighting
2 portable, 1 overhead light, on half light.
Photoshop Adjustments
Mask used, exposure turned down.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Found in
ADC study collections