L’« ornement » en abyme ou la sémantique du détail

This paper considers the « mise en abyme » of what is traditionally called "ornaments" on a certain number of Attic vases: these are vegetal, animal, stellar motifs and even human figures, represented micrographically on luxury objects furnishing scenes of a varied nature. The discreet presence of these motifs, far from being superfluous, is dynamic : they operate as both ornaments and polyvalent signs. As ornaments, they convey the idea of variegation, brilliance, charm and movement, values which make vibrate not only the surface of the object they adorn but also the entire surface of the vase. As signs, they refer to the whole image, whether in the form of echo, repetition, intensification, extension, clarification or contrast. Aesthetic enjoyment thus goes hand in hand with intellectual pleasure, while the long-depreciated categories of "detail" and "ornament" are being proved to be particularly significant.