Ambiguous Vase Illusion

In 1915 the Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin devised an image called 'The Ambiguous Vase.' You could either see it as a vase, or as two faces looking towards each other. The image is ambiguous and demonstrates our ability to shift between different interpretations of what we are seeing. Psychologists call it a 'figure-ground' illusion, and it seems that the brain tries to work out which part of the image is the 'figure' i.e. the object, and which part of the image is the 'ground', i.e. the background. The brain can only see one of the two options as the 'figure' at any point in time, although you can make your brain flip from seeing the two faces, to seeing the vase.

A few years ago, a Dutch designer we know called Paul Baars produced a physical version of the vase, made from porcelain. It was created in Holland by one of the oldest pottery companies in Holland, and because it was complicated to make, and only produced in a limited edition, it was quite expensive.

We do sell this large version of the vase. However a smaller version in plastic has been in production for a while, and has just arrived in our toy shop (December 2012). This version has been made in high quality plastic, using the process of injection moulding.

The vase is constructed of two half vases, one black and one white. Each half will hold water. Of course you could stand the two halves against a mirror, which would give you the appearance of two vases!