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The so-called Lorelei Vase was designed in 1900 by Artus Van Briggle. [1] The subject is based on the myth of the Lorelei (Loreley in German) Rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 400 feet (120 meters) above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat accidents there. The etymology of the word suggests its translation as "murmuring rock" or, alternatively "lurking rock." One explanation cites the heavy currents, and a small waterfall in the area (still visible in the early 19th century) that created a murmuring sound. The special echo the rock produces acted as a sort of amplifier, giving the rock its name. The murmuring is hard to hear today owing to the urbanization of the area. Another theory attributes the name to the many accidents that have occurred in the vicinity of the rock. By combining the German verb "lauern" (to lurk, lie in wait) with the same "ley" ending, the translation "lurking rock” may be obtained. [2]
The Lorelei myth offered a powerful image for poets throughout the 19th century. The earliest poem (1800) by Clemens Brentano (1778-1842) warns of the charms of Lore Ley, who "was not willfully seductive, but men could not resist her charms, and she could not resist their advances." While being taken to a convent by three knights she requested one last look at the Rhine from the top of a high cliff, and to their surprise she jumped off the cliff into the Rhine. According to the poem, the "three knights also met their deaths there, without a priest and without a grave."
A later poem by Heinrich Heine (1799-1856) was extremely popular in Germany and may have been well-known in Cincinnati, which had a large German immigrant population:
Lorelei (1823)
Translated by A.Z. Foreman
I know not if there is a reason
Why I am so sad at heart.
A legend of bygone ages
Haunts me and will not depart.
The air is cool under nightfall.
The calm Rhine courses its way.
The peak of the mountain is sparkling
With evening's final ray.
The fairest of maidens is sitting
Unwittingly wondrous up there,
Her golden jewels are shining,
She's combing her golden hair.
The comb she holds is golden,
She sings a song as well
Whose melody binds an enthralling
And overpowering spell.
In his little boat, the boatman
Is seized with a savage woe,
He'd rather look up at the mountain
Than down at the rocks below.
I think that the waves will devour
The boatman and boat as one;
And this by her song's sheer power
Fair Lorelei has done.
Notes:
[1] For this information, see Robert Wyman Newton, "Catalogue of Van Briggle Designs" in Barbara M. Arnest, ed. Van Briggle Pottery: The Early Years (Colorado Springs: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 1975), pp. 37-70; see specifically shape 17 on p. 38.
[2] Information about the Lorelei Rock was taken from the article "Lorelei" in the website Wikipedia (accessed May 2011).
ProvenanceFrom 1984
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, purchased from Jordan-Volpe Gallery, New York on October 30, 1984. [1]
Notes:
[1] Invoice, October 30, 1984, copy object file.
DepartmentAmerican Art
Vase
Designer
Artus Van Briggle
(1869 - 1904)
Maker
Van Briggle Pottery Company
(founded 1901)
Date1920-1940
Mediumearthenware, glazed
DimensionsHeight: 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm)
Circumference: 14 in. (35.6 cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
CopyrightPublic Domain
Object number1984.2.6
DescriptionA tall earthenware mold-made vase bulging slightly near the vase opening where the head and arms of a languid female figure with long flowing hair emerges and drapes and swirls around the vase; covered overall in maroon glaze with medium blue accents on the raised areas blending into the base glaze. In the way he wrapped the dreamy female figure around the vase, Van Briggle created a striking Art Nouveau design with flowing hair and drapery as though Lorelei is drawing the viewer into her naturalistic world, a fitting image for a vase that was intended to hold fresh flowers. Van Briggle's pottery was characterized by molded forms covered in matt glazes of soothing colors. The use of molds, which was unusual in the making of art pottery at the time, allowed Van Briggle, who suffered from tuberculosis, to create each piece, which could be reproduced exactly by semi-skilled pottery workers.The so-called Lorelei Vase was designed in 1900 by Artus Van Briggle. [1] The subject is based on the myth of the Lorelei (Loreley in German) Rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 400 feet (120 meters) above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat accidents there. The etymology of the word suggests its translation as "murmuring rock" or, alternatively "lurking rock." One explanation cites the heavy currents, and a small waterfall in the area (still visible in the early 19th century) that created a murmuring sound. The special echo the rock produces acted as a sort of amplifier, giving the rock its name. The murmuring is hard to hear today owing to the urbanization of the area. Another theory attributes the name to the many accidents that have occurred in the vicinity of the rock. By combining the German verb "lauern" (to lurk, lie in wait) with the same "ley" ending, the translation "lurking rock” may be obtained. [2]
The Lorelei myth offered a powerful image for poets throughout the 19th century. The earliest poem (1800) by Clemens Brentano (1778-1842) warns of the charms of Lore Ley, who "was not willfully seductive, but men could not resist her charms, and she could not resist their advances." While being taken to a convent by three knights she requested one last look at the Rhine from the top of a high cliff, and to their surprise she jumped off the cliff into the Rhine. According to the poem, the "three knights also met their deaths there, without a priest and without a grave."
A later poem by Heinrich Heine (1799-1856) was extremely popular in Germany and may have been well-known in Cincinnati, which had a large German immigrant population:
Lorelei (1823)
Translated by A.Z. Foreman
I know not if there is a reason
Why I am so sad at heart.
A legend of bygone ages
Haunts me and will not depart.
The air is cool under nightfall.
The calm Rhine courses its way.
The peak of the mountain is sparkling
With evening's final ray.
The fairest of maidens is sitting
Unwittingly wondrous up there,
Her golden jewels are shining,
She's combing her golden hair.
The comb she holds is golden,
She sings a song as well
Whose melody binds an enthralling
And overpowering spell.
In his little boat, the boatman
Is seized with a savage woe,
He'd rather look up at the mountain
Than down at the rocks below.
I think that the waves will devour
The boatman and boat as one;
And this by her song's sheer power
Fair Lorelei has done.
Notes:
[1] For this information, see Robert Wyman Newton, "Catalogue of Van Briggle Designs" in Barbara M. Arnest, ed. Van Briggle Pottery: The Early Years (Colorado Springs: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 1975), pp. 37-70; see specifically shape 17 on p. 38.
[2] Information about the Lorelei Rock was taken from the article "Lorelei" in the website Wikipedia (accessed May 2011).
ProvenanceFrom 1984
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, purchased from Jordan-Volpe Gallery, New York on October 30, 1984. [1]
Notes:
[1] Invoice, October 30, 1984, copy object file.
Status
On viewcirca 1700