Spice box 1730 - 1735

Curator: This small, octagonal container is a spice box crafted between 1730 and 1735 by the Meissen Manufactory. It’s made of porcelain. Editor: It strikes me as utterly charming. There’s a lightness and whimsy to the decoration. What exactly would a piece like this have been used for? Curator: Well, during that era, spices were valuable commodities. A box like this would have been used to store and display those treasures. Its very existence speaks to a certain level of wealth and refinement. It functions almost like a miniature reliquary. Editor: Looking at the painted decoration – those delicate floral arrangements in basket-like forms – I notice how skillfully they are composed. The artist has played with color and negative space to achieve balance and visual interest on each face of the octagon. The structure itself, with each octagonal facet, enhances the visual balance. Curator: Exactly! Porcelain production was a closely guarded secret at Meissen. The ability to produce something this delicate, this translucent, was a testament to their mastery over materials and a reflection of Europe's obsession with porcelain production rivaling that of the far east. Think of the societal prestige linked to this form. Editor: You're right, and thinking about its function alongside that technical innovation gives this piece a different character entirely. Though diminutive, its role wasn't simply aesthetic. It served as a potent symbol of global trade, material wealth, and manufacturing prestige. Curator: Ultimately, the piece exists as a document to our culture's historic pursuit of beauty as entwined with power, technology and economy. Editor: A wonderful, and succinct articulation to the function and form, thank you!