Quaderni di Venezia Arti

Horror vacui in Early Modern Ceramics. Overall Approach to Covering Surfaces

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Abstract

In this paper, the concept of horror vacui, i.e. the fear of the void, is applied to early modern ceramics, where the artists decorated every part of their artworks so that no empty space is left. This overall approach in covering the surface is examined based on ceramic examples in the technique of incised slipware, which were produced in Venice in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Different methods for covering the surface can be determined, like foliage, interlaced motifs, linear and cross-hatchings, and incised dots. These approaches show how the ceramic artists expressed the idea of horror vacui in their artworks.


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Submitted: Oct. 15, 2025 | Published Dec. 15, 2025 | Language: en

Keywords Ceramics • Decorating methods • Early modern • Istria • Horror vacui • Surface covering • Venice • Incised slipware • Overall approach

Copyright © 2025 Ariane Milicev. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


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