Mace Vase

A vase that borrows its outline from a weapon: the flanged, studded head of a medieval mace, widened and drawn out into a vessel that holds stems rather than splitting shields. The idea works because the shapes rhyme. The ribbed swell of a mace head is not far from a classical urn, and the banding that made the original frightening turns into ornament once it is standing on a shelf. From across the room it is simply a bold, heavily textured vase; up close the reference lands. It suits people who like their home decor with some teeth — studies, gaming rooms, shelves that already carry dice towers and dragons. Use it for dried stems and tall grasses, or leave it empty as a sculptural object where a plain cylinder would be forgettable.