Boar's head tureen c. 18th century

Curator: Up next is a piece from the 18th century, a boar's head tureen made from earthenware, here on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: Woah, this object has real character. There’s a kind of aggressive joviality about it—or is that just my stomach growling, thinking about what it once might have contained? Curator: Historically, these tureens were statements of wealth and hunting prowess. They reflect the era's obsession with elaborate dining rituals and the performance of power. The tureen itself, as a symbol, speaks to the controlled domestication, then culinary display, of the wild. Editor: Absolutely, and the craft is impeccable. Look at the detail in the ceramic rendering of the bristly fur, the somewhat goofy and resigned expression. Someone took real pleasure in creating this. It also brings to mind these kinds of vanitas paintings featuring dead game. Did you catch a kind of class statement too? Curator: Yes, absolutely. The presence of such an item signifies privilege—a seat at the table, literally. Beyond that, these boar's head tureens and similar extravagant tableware often appeared amidst immense economic inequality and sociopolitical tension, so to look at it today also speaks to colonial enterprises and aristocratic excess. Editor: I can see that. But it's interesting how it transcends its initial context; I feel there's a darkly humorous dimension to it now. Imagine it as a modern art piece; a comment on food culture, maybe even a strange kind of eco-consciousness, the cycle of consumption. Curator: Certainly, recontextualizing is an important aspect of how we engage with history, and with decorative arts. Bringing these pieces to a contemporary context also speaks to their enduring power to inspire and critique. Editor: Indeed, a lot to chew on—no pun intended! I feel like it’s challenging us to see the old in the new, the serious in the absurd. Curator: And perhaps, to rethink our relationships with both food and the wild in an ever-changing social climate.