Vase
An open container for flowers or liquids.
A vase is an open container, often used to hold cut flowers. Vases can be made from a variety of materials including ceramics, glass, non-rusting metals such as aluminium, brass, bronze, or stainless steel, and even wood. They generally share a similar shape, with a foot or base, a body, and sometimes a shoulder, neck, lip, and handles. Vases have been developed in various styles and types around the world across different time periods, such as Chinese ceramics and Native American pottery. In ancient Greek pottery, 'vase-painting' is the traditional term for fine painted pottery, often depicting scenes from Greek mythology.
- field
- Decorative and functional container
- known_for
- Holding cut flowers and serving as artistic pottery
Lore & Background
There is a long history of the form and function of the vase in nearly all developed cultures, and often ceramic objects are the only artistic evidence left from vanished cultures. In the beginning stages of pottery, the coiling method of building was the most utilized technique to make pottery, working clay into long cylindrical strips that later become smooth walls. The potter's wheel was probably invented in Mesopotamia by the 4th millennium BCE, spreading across nearly all Eurasia and much of Africa, though it remained unknown in the New World until the arrival of Europeans. The earliest discovery of the origins of the potter's wheel was in southern Iraq, where it served as a substitute for previous inefficient traditions.
Reader's Guide
Vases have served both functional and artistic roles across many cultures. They are commonly used to hold cut flowers, with sizes and shapes adapted to support different flowers. Garden vases are usually V-shaped, cylindrical, or bowl-shaped, and are often made of ceramic or plastic. A bud vase is a narrow-necked vase intended to hold just one or two flowers. In 2003, Grayson Perry won the Turner Prize for his ceramics, typically in vase form. The vase's significance extends beyond utility; in ancient Greece, vase-painting is the traditional term for fine painted pottery featuring mythological scenes. The development of the potter's wheel in Mesopotamia by the 4th millennium BCE greatly advanced vase production, spreading across Eurasia and Africa. Vases remain a key form of ceramic art and are collected and displayed in museums such as the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, which houses examples like the Torlonia Vase and the Medici Vase.
Did You Know?
- Vases can be made from ceramics, glass, non-rusting metals, or wood.
- The potter's wheel was probably invented in Mesopotamia by the 4th millennium BCE.
- In ancient Greece, 'vase-painting' is the traditional term for fine painted pottery with mythological scenes.
- Grayson Perry won the Turner Prize in 2003 for his ceramics, typically in vase form.
More in Furniture & Household Items 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record