Brandewijnkom, rond, met twee platte oren before 1944

This silver brandy bowl was made in the 1700s by David Roobol. It’s really interesting to me because it looks so simple at first glance. When you look closer, the surface is hammered, each little facet catching the light. It’s like a million tiny brushstrokes, each one slightly different. I imagine the artist’s hand moving across the metal, not trying to smooth it all out, but letting the marks accumulate. The two flat ears seem ornamental. They’re ornate and a little bit fussy, while the bowl itself is so straightforward. The texture of the piece makes it feel so immediate. You can see the making, the process right there on the surface. Think of Lucio Fontana and his slashed canvases, both make you think about what it means to make a mark, to change a surface, to declare that something has been touched, worked, and transformed. The bowl isn’t just a bowl, it’s a record of an action, a conversation between the artist and the material. It's an object for contemplation.