Parcel-Gilt Oval Box c. 1660

Curator: This is a parcel-gilt oval box, attributed to Hans Ludwig Hallaicher, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It's so tactile! I want to hold it. The muted golds and silvers give it an otherworldly feel, like something from a fairy tale. Curator: Indeed. Small decorative boxes such as this often served as symbolic markers of status, gender, and even political affiliation. Editor: Do you think the floral design has a symbolic meaning beyond just being pretty? To me, the central flower looks heavy somehow. Curator: Most certainly. Flowers during this period were heavily coded, offering subtle commentary on everything from courtship to social mobility. The weight you perceive, I suspect, comes from the object's complicated social function. Editor: It makes me think about preciousness and the hidden stories objects carry. What do you think? Curator: Exactly. It is these layers that make objects such as this so endlessly fascinating.