German Artist Custom Hand Paints Ants Crawling on Vintage Porcelain Dishes

Ant Sugar Dish

In a series called “Chitin Gloss“, German artist Evelyn Brackow of LA PHILIE custom hand paints ants crawling on vintage porcelain dishes. The effect is both elegant and creepy at the same time.

The idea for this work resulted from pure chance, when the sight of a carelessly placed plate – by then wandered by ants – fascinated me so much that I felt the urge to simply conserve this image. Fear, disgust, fascination and admiration: This very interplay of feelings constitutes the charm of the work. Furthermore, to me, the ants symbolize all the stories that any formerly discarded piece of porcelain carries with it. Where one once dined and drank, today ants bustle in ever new formations, every single one applied with a great love for detail.

Custom orders can be made on the LAPHILIE Etsy site

Vintage Covered Dish Crawling with Ants

Ants Cup and Saucer

Ant Plate

images via LAPHILIE

via Whimsie Box, Colossal

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.