Wine cooler (seau à demi-bouteille) (one of a pair) 1746 - 1757

Curator: Here we have a porcelain wine cooler, or seau à demi-bouteille, crafted by the Vincennes Manufactory between 1746 and 1757. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It has an air of fragile opulence about it, doesn't it? The smoothness of the ceramic paired with that delicately rendered landscape. You can practically feel its chill meant for those demi-bouteilles. Curator: Precisely. Consider the landscapes painted on either side. Notice the elegant pastorals scenes, how they adhere to the vessel's curvature, reinforcing the object's cylindrical form. Semiotically, we're reading an interplay between surface and image, function and representation. Editor: For me, I'm drawn to how such fine art meets function here. Look at the process involved in firing this porcelain—the labour, the skill. It wasn’s merely about producing decorative art, it was an intensive engagement with materiality under the directives of the Court, made for leisurely consumption. It gives insight into the cultural and economic context of the time. Curator: Good point. And there's also the tension created by these ornate, gilt-edged handles juxtaposed against the otherwise serene scenes. They're functioning almost as meta-commentary, pointing to the artificiality inherent within even these supposed idyllic settings. Editor: The application of the gilding itself involved a whole other stage of manufacture. These were high-status objects of intense commodity value, not merely pretty things. They embodied social hierarchies and consumption habits, especially within the royal courts that demanded this form of fine craftsmanship. Curator: A fascinating convergence, truly. Viewing through your lens allows us to see not just the artistic choices, but also the wider systems it reflects. Editor: And likewise, observing your emphasis on its compositional balance gives deeper meaning to its production context within that moment of luxury and excess.