Charger c. 1680

This charger was anonymously crafted from an unknown material, and now resides at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The vibrant floral design, typical of its era, speaks to more than just decorative tastes. In Renaissance Europe, pottery like this wasn't just tableware; it was a signifier of wealth and status, reflecting a family's participation in a culture of refinement. The fact that the maker is unknown invites speculation about the role of craftspeople. Were they celebrated artists or anonymous laborers? What was their relationship to the wealthy patrons who commissioned such pieces? By studying similar objects and the historical records of workshops, we can start to piece together the social conditions that shaped artistic production in this period and appreciate how art objects, even the most utilitarian, are embedded in complex networks of power, patronage, and cultural exchange.