Waste Bowl 1765 - 1770

Editor: Here we have a "Waste Bowl," crafted around 1765 to 1770 by the Worcester Porcelain Works. It’s primarily ceramic, boasting earthenware and porcelain. It strikes me as opulent, even for a *waste* bowl. What symbolic readings do you draw from its imagery? Curator: This bowl presents a fascinating glimpse into the symbolic language of the 18th century. Consider the use of birds. Editor: Right, the birds are quite prominent! Curator: Indeed! Birds, especially exotic varieties like those depicted here, often symbolized trade, worldly knowledge, and the prosperity of the British Empire. And the fan shape… Editor: Yes, the little vignettes on the fans – it feels very staged. Curator: Precisely! The fan acts almost as a little stage setting. It encapsulates a controlled, cultivated version of nature that resonated with the aristocratic taste. Do you think the function of this object plays a role in its design? Editor: I never thought about that, it being a *waste* bowl. So…things to be discarded? Maybe the bowl is saying something about beauty being fleeting? Curator: Exactly! Consider that these beautiful objects were made for holding refuse. Perhaps the fleeting nature of beauty is being hinted at, or even the temporary status of worldly possessions and status. The manufacturers also used readily recognizable imagery and symbols associated with power and authority at the time to promote and sell their products to wealthy consumers. What does this reading offer you as insight? Editor: Wow, it feels so much richer now, connecting commerce and status with a deeper meditation on beauty. It's like the bowl is winking at us. Curator: It’s a tangible representation of cultural values, even anxieties. Today we unpacked British cultural memory manifested through the visual symbols. It is really exciting to experience art at the nexus of beauty, purpose and symbolic communication!