SACRED VESSEL No. 06
Gallery NO. DV - 2026 - 06
Created July 2026
The Penitent’s Vessel
Handcrafted Arabic Orthodox Pottery Vase
The Penitent’s Vessel is a one-of-a-kind stoneware form shaped around one of the most enduring movements of the Orthodox spiritual life: the return of the heart to God.
Carved into the vessel in Arabic are the words ارحمني يا الله — Have mercy on me, O God. The prayer echoes the opening cry of Psalm 50 (51), the great penitential psalm of the Church and a prayer woven deeply into Orthodox worship and personal prayer.
The vessel rises from a deep, fire-red foundation into a quiet Alabaster surface, creating a visual movement from intensity toward stillness. The Arabic inscription travels across the body as an integral part of the form, its carved lines preserved within the clay as a permanent prayer.
Neither decorative object nor utilitarian form alone, The Penitent’s Vessel is conceived as a contemplative work: an object shaped by hand, marked by repentance, and transformed by fire.
The Inscription
ارحمني يا اللهHave mercy on me, O God.
The words recall the beginning of Psalm 50:
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy.
Psalm 50 holds a profound place within Orthodox Christian prayer. It is heard throughout the liturgical life of the Church and forms part of the daily prayer of countless Orthodox Christians, a continual return to humility, repentance, and trust in the mercy of God.
Carved into the body of the vessel, the prayer becomes inseparable from the object itself. It is not merely written upon the surface; it becomes part of the form, a quiet invocation held permanently within the clay.
Surface & Form
The upper body is finished in Alabaster, creating a warm, mineral surface that allows the deeply carved Arabic calligraphy to remain central to the composition.
The lower portion transitions into Candy Apple Red, introducing a rich, fire-like depth at the foundation of the vessel. The interior is also finished in Alabaster, continuing the restrained surface inward.
Its individually formed silhouette retains the subtle asymmetry of the handmade process, including the organic movement of the neck and rim. The contrast between the pale stone-like body and the intense red base gives the vessel the presence of an excavated devotional object—something simultaneously ancient and contemporary.
Variations in glaze movement, carving, surface, and firing are preserved as part of the singular character of the work.
Details
Collection: The Sacred Collection
Form: Sculptural Orthodox stoneware vase
Material: High-fired stoneware
Inscription: ارحمني يا الله
Translation: Have mercy on me, O God
Inscription Source: Psalm 50 (51)
Inscription Method: Individually carved into the clay
Exterior: Alabaster with Candy Apple Red lower body
Interior: Alabaster
Height: Approximately 5 in
Base Width: Approximately 4 in
.Foot: Approximately 3.5 in.
Neck: Approximately 3 in.
Approximate Weight: 1.5–2 lb.
Approximate Packaged Shipping Weight: 3–3.5 lb.
Firing: High-fired to Cone 6
Origin: Handmade by DOM VECHERA
The earliest works of DOM VECHERA bear DS, the original maker's mark used by Olga before the establishment of the House. These works retain the mark as part of their provenance.
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