Silver Tray c. 1936

Editor: So, here we have Giacinto Capelli's "Silver Tray," from around 1936, a drawing in metalpoint it appears. It looks very precise, almost like a technical blueprint, but at the same time, there's an elegance in the simple lines and the circular form. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: What immediately comes to mind is the social context of design during the 1930s. Luxury goods like silver trays, while seemingly innocuous, often represented status and wealth, especially during the Great Depression. But given this rendering, where do you think it would be presented? Do you see any functional purpose presented? Editor: It’s interesting you mention that. Thinking about it, the rendering does remove it from any practical usage, becoming a study in form instead. Perhaps intended for a manufacturer's catalogue or a design publication of some kind? Curator: Precisely. Design journals of the era, like "Domus" in Italy, often showcased new approaches to everyday objects, celebrating industrial design and its potential to shape modern life. The precision in the rendering signals the aspiration of functional perfection that echoes the machine age. We should be questioning its actual presence as a realized object. Editor: I never considered it that way. So it's less about the tray itself and more about the *idea* of the tray, its role in representing modern ideals. Curator: Exactly. It serves as a social and aspirational symbol through mass media, influencing public taste and notions of a modern, designed life. Did Capelli succeed at this with a simple drawing? Editor: That makes me look at the drawing completely differently. The formal elegance I noticed initially seems to also represent a wider social ambition, a goal, during a time of hardship. Thanks, this perspective makes all the difference. Curator: You're welcome. Now let’s see what we can learn from his other sketches.