Tobacco Leaf Tea Bowl with Butterflies

The sculpture is assembled from a broken 18th-century Chinese porcelain tea bowl, butterfly taxidermy and mixed media. From his Dutch heritage, Bouke de Vries has the instilled love for still-life paintings and is fascinated by their symbolism. In still lives, butterflies symbolise the resurrection of Christ; in Bouke’s work, they symbolise the resurrection of the broken and damaged ceramic piece.

Courtesy of the private collection of Gill Griffiths

● Type: Sculpture
● Material: Porcelain, mixed media
● Date: 2020

Porcelain VirtuosityExhibition