Saucer from a tea service for twelve 1807 - 1808

Curator: Isn't that charming? It's delicate and precise. Editor: This is a saucer from a tea service made between 1807 and 1808. The artist, Christophe-Ferdinand Caron, exemplifies the period's interest in fine porcelain. Curator: It speaks of restrained elegance, though; the bird is lively and the border detailing—almost obsessive in its filigree. But it doesn't convey the social or political tensions of the time? It seems far removed from the anxieties of post-revolutionary France. Editor: The rising middle class sought to emulate aristocratic tastes. The tea service itself, and items like this saucer specifically, represented a refined domesticity—a retreat from the political sphere into private life. Luxury goods affirmed a new status and signaled participation in a particular vision of cultural taste. Curator: It's undeniable that it's carefully planned with the tripartite composition of the centre bird, the plain inner ring and ornamental border; what strikes you about the colours? The tones, such as they are, enhance a sort of restrained richness in tension with its scale and everyday role as a functional saucer. Editor: The mauve colour of the background on this particular saucer, with its gold accents, likely denoted a certain wealth. A porcelain piece like this, then, functioned as a symbol of allegiance to the emerging elite aesthetic. Even the tiny bird takes flight against an ocean of stark, bright white, offering a tiny pop of life and animation! Curator: Ultimately, though, its beauty is embedded in a broader network of cultural aspirations. Editor: I agree, though one must take note of the exquisite artistry involved in achieving that social end. Curator: Very well said, the artist undoubtedly sought a patron of the rising mercantile class and their new aesthetics in creating this work. Editor: I daresay, and it reflects well the emerging power of their aspirations.