Porringer 1750 - 1765

Curator: At the Metropolitan Museum, we have a lovely example of an 18th-century silver porringer. It was crafted between 1750 and 1765 by Joseph Clark(e) Jr. in the United States. What strikes you first about it? Editor: The sheer practicality, honestly. It’s such a simple, humble shape. Yet, there's this elegant handle, almost like a stylized monogram. It makes me wonder about the dichotomy of everyday use and artistic intention. Curator: Precisely! The decorative handle gives us a lot to consider. Monograms in that era often represented family identity, suggesting a certain status or aspiration for the owner. The handle almost serves as a signifier. Editor: It reminds me how much material objects, even the most mundane ones, can reveal about social history. A simple porringer speaks volumes about class, taste, and the importance of lineage in Colonial America. It highlights who gets their name remembered. Curator: Yes! The silver itself would indicate a level of affluence, but let’s not overlook that this type of object also serves a purpose in preserving family history and potentially social and emotional associations and meanings of heritage. Editor: Do you think it was mostly symbolic or actually functional for someone to be able to show wealth? Or maybe somewhere in between? Curator: I suspect that for many who owned such things, the practicality and symbolic utility went hand-in-hand. Its material bears a certain visual weight. A tangible representation of social capital and lineage, passed down through generations. I can almost feel the desire to leave a mark. Editor: A really beautiful, layered understanding. Makes me think of the politics involved in owning items made of precious metals. I’m left thinking about the power dynamics embedded even in something we would consider quite quaint and functional today. Curator: Right. There’s so much more than just shining metal here! Thanks for illuminating that point. Editor: Always a pleasure to look beneath the shimmering surface with you.