Plateau 1822 - 1825

Editor: Here we have "Plateau," a metal and silver piece of decorative art made sometime between 1822 and 1825, currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It gives the impression of cool elegance and restraint. What's your perspective on it? Curator: Restraint is an interesting word for it. To me, it whispers secrets of grand dinners, the clinking of glasses under candlelight, perhaps hushed political plotting... all happening just out of view. Do you see the tiny figures supporting the surface? Each frozen mid-gesture, hinting at a narrative we can only imagine. Almost like characters on a stage. Editor: Yes, they give it a playful quality. It stops it from being too serious. What’s interesting is how light plays across the surface, and is almost captured in those small metal filigree patterns along the rim. What was dining like when something like this might have been in use? Curator: Dining then… Well, imagine a world less rushed. Meals weren't just sustenance; they were theater. Silver like this was about showing off wealth and status. Each gleaming surface reflected the light and the diners, almost saying, "Look at us!"— a beautiful lie preserved in polished metal. The reflective tray and its ornament allowed them to not only see, but to be seen, in their own performance. Editor: It really gives a tangible sense of that historical performance! I hadn't thought about the diners also using it like a mirror, or at least appreciating their own reflections. I can see that now in the object's highly polished appearance. Curator: Absolutely! Objects often hold silent conversations with their creators and users. You just need to listen. Editor: Thanks, that helps me think differently about the narratives an artwork implies.