Serafino Volpi Ceramiche, 24 cm, prob. 50s

Conventional wisdom says the 50s were staid, boring and predictable. Un momento, says this cute but slightly demented piece by Italian maker Volpi. Offset handles? Check. Mystery characters carrying water using a pole? Check. Stars of David and flowers? Check. Random boxes of squiggly lines? Check. Whew, what a mess… almost. I have a feeling there is a story being told here, something which unifies the disparate elements. Perhaps the tale of King David requesting water from Bethlehem, as found in 2 Samuel in the Bible? Or do the figures represent the Danaïdes, the murderous wives condemned for eternity to carrying water in a perforated vase? While a serious reference would be nice, perhaps it was just someone at Volpi — after a long summer lunch and a bottle of good Italian wine — just having some fun with everyone.