Pair of vases; Volterra, Italy, c. 1850.

Pair of vases; Volterra, Italy, c. 1850.
Alabaster from Volterra.
Measurements: 182 x 43 x 38 cm; 176 x 35 x 22 x 22 cm.
This pair of vases is carved in Volterra alabaster, a material particularly prized for its delicate translucency and the richness of its veins, which here display a nuanced chromatic range in shades of honey, browns and smoky grays. Each piece rises on a circular foot seated on a quadrangular base, supporting an ovoid body of elegant and balanced lines, in which formal harmony and technical virtuosity are combined.
The bodies have finely sculpted heads in relief, whose hair is profusely adorned with bunches of grapes and vine leaves that cascade down, forming an exuberant Bacchic crown integrated into the surface of the vase. This ornamental repertoire refers directly to the universe of Bacchus, reinforcing the symbolic dimension of the work. The handles are one of the most striking elements of the ensemble: they take the form of fantastic creatures, evocative of dragons or stylized birds, whose sinuous bodies introduce a marked dynamism and a certain theatricality into the composition.
The model of these vases is inspired by the ancient Roman ocoques, vessels intended for wine in antiquity, reinterpreted here under a decorative language typical of the historicist taste of the nineteenth century. The ornamentation, rich in mythological and fantastic references, is part of a neo-Renaissance style that recovers and reworks motifs from the Italian Renaissance, combining naturalism, fantasy and a refined decorative sense.
These pieces were produced in Volterra, a center renowned for centuries for its specialized alabaster workshops. During the 19th century, this city experienced a remarkable boom in the production of artistic objects destined both for the local market and for an international clientele, attracted by the charm of traditional materials reinterpreted under modern sensibilities. In this context, alabaster became a privileged medium for the creation of high quality decorative objects, capable of evoking classical antiquity while responding to the bourgeois taste for the exotic and the historical.Thus, this pair of vases fully exemplifies the eclectic aesthetic of the 19th century, in which the reference to the past - whether classical or Renaissance - is combined with a refined technical execution and a clear ornamental purpose.