Better The Devil You Know

This vase is decorated with bold black devil masks set against a vivid red ground, their exaggerated horns, tongues and grinning expressions recalling the playful imagery of European carnival traditions. Lightning motifs and stylised lettering wrap around the rounded form, spelling the phrase “Better the Devil You Know.” The proverb is widely recorded in English from the nineteenth century, though its idea is older, expressing the belief that a familiar danger may be safer than an unknown one. Such sayings often circulated through oral tradition, moral tales and popular prints, where devils appeared both as warnings and comic figures. Here the repeating faces suggest a chorus of mischievous personalities surrounding the vessel. The design uses carved areas and flat graphic contrast to echo the direct visual language of folk illustration and historic decorative pottery.