OBJECTS Femme fatale Karel Opatrný (1881–1961) Wailing Wind vase, c. 1905 Produced by the Ceramics Manufacturing Cooperative, Bechyně Fine earthenware, colour patina; height 73 cm At the turn of the century, the figures of Wailing Wind (a woman half transformed into a snake or dragon), nymphs and marsh fairies were not only highly popular in children’s literature, but also formed part of the Symbolist repertoire of various types of alluring and dangerous womanhood. A whirlwind of these creatures was implemented as a decorative motif on ceramic vases and metalwork, as on the Marsh Fairies vase – the work of Rodin’s student Josef Kratina.