Box c. 1645 - 1660

Curator: Here at the Rijksmuseum, we have an earthenware container attributed to an anonymous maker: a circular box created around 1645 to 1660. Editor: My first impression is that it’s a dynamic piece. The circular form echoes the swirling figures, almost as though it's a miniature world in perpetual motion, bound by these clear glazed edges. Curator: Indeed. The shape allows the narrative scene to unfold continuously. Consider how the stylized human figures are distributed—attending banquets, resting, engaging in what appears to be everyday life. The painterly effect relies on the color scheme: mainly blue, green, and red on white. The overall visual design draws the eye across the stoneware. Editor: Absolutely. However, it's also important to read those ‘everyday life’ depictions in their historical context. Whose ‘everyday’ is depicted here? Are these affluent merchants, or members of the gentry class? It would be very telling to explore how social class plays out in these narrative vignettes. Curator: An interesting point. Observe also how space is treated. It flattens conventional perspective and distributes pictorial information in discrete units, characteristic of many types of Asian art. It moves between design and pure figuration, with the narrative broken down into its elemental chromatic qualities. Editor: What I find interesting about this approach is that it brings up essential questions about art as social commentary, as opposed to mere surface embellishment. What narratives is the artwork communicating, or obscuring, for its original consumer group? Curator: The materiality invites speculation on that question. Note how the cool, smooth surface belies the complexity of its socio-historical positioning. There’s a palpable tension between artistic expression and historical setting. Editor: Indeed. It’s a fine specimen of ceramic earthenware from that era, now made resonant again through your observations. Curator: And with your thought-provoking cultural interpretations.