3114 Pyramids of Makkum, 2007

: Studio Marten Aukes

Royal Tichelaar Makkum

An elaborate restoration for the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum of 17th century flower pyramids  sparked off a project by Royal Tichelaar to reinterpret the vase. They commissioned Dutch designers Hella Jongerius, Studio Job, Studio Makkink & Bey and Alexander van Slobbe, to use this replica as starting point. Studio Makkink & Bey's flower pyramid is composed of a number of everyday containers: a cleaning bucket, milk pail, decorator’s bucket, and a feeding bucket. The piggybanks at the bottom give the bucket a number of feet, to give the vase different postures. Made in Friesland, cast in clay and hand-painted, the object bears the visible traces of all the hands that have participated in its creation. In form and decoration, the vase is a celebration of daily life achieved by quoting favorite works of art.