Yule Vase

A celebration of Yule, with all of its magical correspondences: a snowy owl, a robin, mistletoe, holly, rosemary, sage, crocuses, cyclamen persicum, snowdrops and oak leaves, all of them resting on a vase etching of priests and priestesses, by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (dated 1778).

Holly, Ilix aquafolium, grows in the shaded understory of oak forests. During winter, when the oak branches are bare, the evergreen leaves of holly persist. Their thick, glossy leaves can last for five years, surviving winter after winter. Covered in thorns, holly acts as a shelter to animals. Deer bed deep within stands of the plant, and birds nestle safely among its branches. In the darkness of winter, holly represents joy, immortality, and awakening.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi was an Italian architect, archeologist, and artist. He was known for his detailed etchings of vedute (views) of the city Rome, published in 1743 as Prima parte di Architettura e Prospettive, and 1745 as Varie Vedute di Roma Antica e Moderna.