Dish 1765 - 1766

Editor: This is a silver dish made around 1765 by Jean Antoine Bourguet. It has a clean, almost severe square form, softened by that delicate, undulating edge. What strikes you about it? Curator: What immediately grabs my attention is the Rococo aesthetic operating under what appear to be almost industrial constraints. Silverware like this wasn't just about utility; it signaled status. This dish speaks volumes about 18th-century French aristocratic culture, a group who enjoyed elaborate displays of wealth even while, politically, they stood on increasingly shaky ground. Does that make you think about the object differently? Editor: It does! It’s like it's holding in tension decadence with the beginnings of a kind of stark sensibility. But why a square form, specifically? Curator: Think about the rising influence of Neoclassicism around that time. While the edge remains playful, the basic shape hints at a turn away from the frivolous curves associated with the earlier Rococo period. Consider the social statement – a controlled, geometrical form amidst an abundance of ornamentation might suggest a refined restraint or maybe it was simply fashionable to do so! This raises questions about the purpose and location. Would it adorn a table, or maybe hold stationary? Editor: That is quite thought provoking. Looking at something as seemingly simple as a dish through the lens of social and political shifts definitely adds depth. I would not have picked up on that complexity myself. Curator: Exactly! Appreciating art involves placing the object within broader cultural trends, seeing how societal anxieties or aspirations might be reflected, even in something so seemingly simple. I’m now eager to delve into similar artwork from the same time period and social status.