Saucer 1814 - 1824

Curator: This is a porcelain saucer, made by the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. It measures just 2.5 by 14 centimeters and is part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It's quite delicate. The floral patterns give it a certain Rococo daintiness, don’t you think? The composition leads the eye gently around the circular form. Curator: Indeed. Consider the firing process—the alchemy of transforming raw materials into this refined object. The labor involved, from mining the kaolin to the meticulous painting of those rosebuds. Editor: I agree, but observe how the artist uses negative space to emphasize the beauty of the floral details and the inherent symmetry of the object. Curator: The rosebuds, repeated in a triad, point to the industrial replication processes enabled by Meissen. It speaks of mass production masking as handcraftsmanship. Editor: It is a testament to elegance and artistic skill in its composition and its time. Curator: It embodies the tensions between industrial progress and aesthetic refinement. Editor: A deceptively simple form opens a world of possibilities.