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Vase by Inarco meant to look like Jacqueline Kennedy in her mourning veil
Vase by Inarco meant to look like Jacqueline Kennedy in her mourning veil

Vase by Inarco meant to look like Jacqueline Kennedy in her mourning veil

Object number2012.049.0001
Date1964
ClassificationsArtifacts
ObjectCollectible
Credit LineThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection
MediumCeramic
Dimensions5 3/4 × 4 1/4 × 3 7/8 in. (14.6 × 10.8 × 9.8 cm)
Collections
DescriptionCeramic vase manufactured by Inarco, designed to resemble Jacqueline Kennedy in her mourning veil and gloves. The vase is shaped like Jacqueline Kennedy's head and shoulders, her head draped in a white veil. Her left hand is represented wearing a black glove, raised near her face. The crown of her head is open, leaving space for flowers. Mrs. Kennedy's sorrowful expression and mourning attire recall images of her broadcast around the world during coverage of President Kennedy's funeral. The bottom of the vase has the following information: "E 1852 Inarco CLEVE OHIO (c) 1964"
Curatorial Commentary

The vase is of a style called a "head vase," which was popular in the mid-twentieth century. Shaped like a woman's head, when flowers were put in the vase, they often formed a hat or headpiece for the figure represented by the body of the vase. 

Inarco was a Japanese manufacturer that became popular in the post-World War II era, when American makers of head vases were facing strong competition from overseas manufacturers.

While many head vases were designed to represent glamour girls or famous characters, this Jacqueline Kennedy head vase evokes another popular style, that of the Madonna. -- Lindsey Richardson, Curator of Collections

Included in the Museum's temporary exhibit, "Mourning a President," about the funeral and mourning rites for President John F. Kennedy, this item will be on display on the Museum's seventh floor from November 17, 2017 to February 19, 2018. -- Lindsey Richardson, Curator of Collections