Gallery NO. DS - 2026 - 016
Created July 2026
The Penitent’s Vessel
Handcrafted Antiochian Orthodox Stoneware 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 الله Have 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: Relics
Curated Subcollection: Antiochian Script 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 DOXA & STAVROS Edition: One of one
Accompaniment
Gallery Record: This work is accompanied by a Gallery Record documenting its title, inscription, collection, gallery number, and permanent place within the archive of the DOXA & STAVROS Workshop.
*The document shown is a representative sample. Each Gallery Record is individually prepared for the work it accompanies.
Certificate of Authenticity: This work is accompanied by a signed Certificate of Authenticity affirming their originality and archival record within the DOXA & STAVROS Workshop.
*The document shown is a representative sample. Each Certificate of Authenticity is individually prepared for the work it accompanies.
Each DOXA & STAVROS vessel is individually formed and finished by hand. Variations in shape, surface, glaze movement, carving, and firing are not considered defects but are evidence of the making process and the singular nature of the work.
Objects formed by prayer and fire.
