Footed Tray 1757

This footed tray was manufactured by the national factory of Sèvres, though the date remains unknown. The porcelain object demonstrates the way luxury goods, like this tray, were used to signify power and status in the 18th and 19th centuries. Think about who would have owned this object, and the spaces it would have inhabited. A footed tray such as this would have been at home in the domestic sphere of an elite woman. The femininity of the flowers combined with the pastel color palette speaks to this intended audience. The intertwined ribbons could speak to the interweaving of social circles, family, and relationships which defined aristocratic life. While an object like this may appear to simply be decorative, consider the social and economic systems that it represents. The tray can reveal a story of class, gender, and power, offering a glimpse into the lives of those who possessed it and the society in which they lived.