Saucer from a tea service for twelve 1807 - 1808

Editor: This is a "Saucer from a tea service for twelve," crafted around 1807-1808 by Christophe-Ferdinand Caron. It’s a dainty ceramic piece, very French, with an intriguing little bird at the center. There is such refinement to this saucer, it feels so elevated somehow. How do you read this piece? Curator: Ah, isn't it charming? What strikes me immediately is the tension, if you will, between that delicate central bird – mid-flight, a tiny burst of freedom – and the quite rigid Neoclassical pattern ringing its edges. It's as though wildness is being tamed, you know? Do you see it, too, that desire to both capture and contain? Editor: I do! I hadn't thought about it that way, but the bird almost seems like it is trapped in the middle there by all of the geometrical precision and luxurious decorative motifs. I suppose this push and pull could tell us something about the period in which this was made. Curator: Exactly. This saucer embodies that early 19th century dance – yearning for Romantic-era wildness while still clinging to Enlightenment ideals. Think of gilded cages, poetry read in formal gardens… what an era of contrast and subtle ironies. It’s a ceramic stage where nature and culture perform. Almost feels bittersweet, wouldn’t you say? Editor: I totally get that now! The gilded cage is a really powerful metaphor. It does carry a strange sort of feeling when put in those terms. Thanks for sharing your insights! Curator: My pleasure! Perhaps next time you’re having tea, you'll ponder the bittersweet dance of bird and cage, nature and culture.