Pa. German Butter Mold c. 1939

Curator: Oh, this is a gentle drawing, isn't it? So quiet. It reminds me of my grandmother's kitchen somehow. Editor: It's a drawing in colored pencil, around 1939, by Franklin Syres. The artwork represents a Pa. German Butter Mold. I find that name quite intriguing on its own. It has folk art elements, for sure, but there is something meticulously geometric about it. Curator: It's the symmetry, isn’t it? The perfect little wheat sheaf, anchored by the fronds… Makes me think of abundance. Simplicity but abundance. Did people actually use molds that looked like this to shape butter? Editor: Indeed. These molds were functional objects but they were also displays of craft, and domestic ideals within the Pennsylvania German community. Decoration with a purpose, so to speak. Butter was an important source of nutrition but molded butter took on social meaning as well. Curator: So the artistry elevated the everyday. And butter… such a humble material! It just goes to show that art can live anywhere. Though, what did the color usually symbolize within such decorations? Editor: Traditionally the color in decorative arts within this community reinforced certain shared cultural values. These often included religious values but, overall, also the representation of the natural world. Think about its rural foundations. But even with realism as its goal, the artist's hand here brings in his particular charm through shading, depth, color choice... Curator: Almost like each farmer put their personality into how the table was set… the patterns are stylized but with those personal quirks! Editor: Exactly! This blend of social context with intimate artistic expression really enriches how we perceive what otherwise would be seen as mere kitchenware. Curator: Well, that butter mold’s making me hungry for a good scone now! Editor: And perhaps this artwork offers us food for thought about our daily rituals and traditions, wouldn't you agree?