Panel with enamels on copper 1760 - 1780

Editor: This exquisite “Panel with Enamels on Copper,” made sometime between 1760 and 1780 by an anonymous artist, showcases a tranquil domestic scene. It’s fascinating how the artist merged painting with, what's usually considered, a more decorative technique using enamel. What can you tell me about this piece, looking at the materials and making process? Curator: The enamel itself speaks volumes. It was an expensive and technically challenging medium. The copper base suggests an object meant to last, intended for display in a wealthy home. It is interesting how the use of such expensive materials challenges the content of a 'genre-painting' itself; where the elite families wish to capture a day-to-day. Have you noticed the colours? Editor: Yes, they're surprisingly bright. How were they even able to achieve that vibrancy in enamel work from that time? Curator: Precisely. Each coloured enamel requires different firing temperatures. The control needed is remarkable, pointing to highly skilled workshops, with specialised labor and probably division of labor that existed to create this. These enamel workshops relied on the accessibility of metal ores and also fuel. Think about how the raw materials used impacted on their placement of such workshops. Also how such intense labour relates to the elite status symbol the object is to be for. Editor: So, understanding the materials helps us uncover the labor conditions, craft traditions, and socioeconomic circumstances of the time. And, ultimately, the culture that surrounds it? Curator: Precisely! By focusing on how things are made and with what, we can really engage in historical settings. Also understand the meaning of certain art outputs for a certain culture. Editor: I never considered that by zooming into the 'making of' we can have an actual perspective of understanding historical setting! Curator: Exactly. By appreciating the raw materials, process, we celebrate both artistry and contextual awareness.