Melkkan c. 1905

Editor: This is the "Melkkan", a silver milk jug from around 1905, made by Orivit. I am immediately drawn to its shimmery, almost iridescent surface. What does its form and design tell us about its place in society at the time? Curator: Well, the “Melkkan” embodies the Art Nouveau movement, which really embraced organic forms, rejecting industrial aesthetics. Its presence speaks to the evolving role of decorative arts within burgeoning consumer culture. Art Nouveau was popular among the rising middle class who could afford to include handcrafted and stylized wares within their homes, what was once accessible primarily to aristocratic and Royal elites. Does the stylized peacock feather design suggest any specific cultural references to you? Editor: Now that you mention it, the peacock does feel quite significant! Were there specific cultural or societal associations with peacocks during the early 20th century that would’ve made it a popular design choice? Curator: Absolutely! Peacocks, known for their display, often symbolized luxury, beauty, and even immortality, a kind of decadent status symbol appropriated to the design, thereby turning something functional, such as a pitcher, into something much more precious. The design suggests that Art Nouveau moved away from the strict moral authority of previous art and cultures, such as Victorian England. Editor: So, possessing an object like this milk jug was about more than just functionality; it signaled awareness of and participation in these broader cultural shifts? Curator: Precisely. These objects moved domestic life into alignment with larger ideas about modern taste, individual identity, and status that could be bought into through the new forms of industrial production and wealth. Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn't considered how a simple milk jug could be such a powerful marker of cultural identity. Curator: Right! These everyday objects are quite telling, really making us think about consumerism and design meeting self-expression.