Axel Salto

Hostler Burrows, New York

Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2013

With its rich oxblood glaze and dramatic spikes, this is one of Salto’s most dynamic designs. The first impression is of barely contained violence, as if the vase had been weaponized. Look more closely, though, and this initial sense of aggression gives way to an appreciation of the marvelous glaze and the sensitive modeling of the form. The pointed protrusions have slightly rounded tips, and at the top and bottom recede into the form, modulating the transition to the rim and foot. As is the case for most of the works produced in Salto’s studio, the work was made by applying these individually modeled components to a thrown cylinder. He carefully calibrated such pieces, pushing them as far as he could without exaggeration. “It is exactly the last little ‘further out’ that determines the artwork's decisive boldness,” he wrote, “a matter of millimeters."

Glenn Adamson