The series Sole marks a transition from capturing flowers to portraying vessels and glassware; while working on Florilegium, Kwaaitaal began collecting glass vessels; initially to give the flowers a place, and later out of fascination with Dutch glass, such as belly bottles, shoulder bottles, and medicine bottles. Fascinated by their exquisite patina and the traces of age each vessel carries, Kwaaitaal began photographing these vessels as an exploration of history, materiality, and composition. The vessels depicted in the Sole series are often antique, sometimes hundreds of years old, each carrying its own story. The title Sole refers to the “soul” visible at the base of the vessels. From this detail, Connoisseurs can infer the exact age of a bottle and whether it was hand-blown.
The series Sole marks a transition from capturing flowers to portraying vessels and glassware; while working on Florilegium, Kwaaitaal began collecting glass vessels; initially to give the flowers a place, and later out of fascination with Dutch glass, such as belly bottles, shoulder bottles, and medicine bottles. Fascinated by their exquisite patina and the traces of age each vessel carries, Kwaaitaal began photographing these vessels as an exploration of history, materiality, and composition. The vessels depicted in the Sole series are often antique, sometimes hundreds of years old, each carrying its own story. The title Sole refers to the “soul” visible at the base of the vessels. From this detail, Connoisseurs can infer the exact age of a bottle and whether it was hand-blown.