Snuffbox with six scenes of putti at play 1756 - 1766

Curator: Look at this exquisite piece! It's a snuffbox, crafted between 1756 and 1766 by Jean Georges. Notice the gold, diamonds, and those delicate scenes… Editor: It’s utterly frivolous, isn’t it? A blatant display of wealth. All that gold, those diamonds… and putti! The composition screams decadence. Curator: Absolutely, and its beauty lies in that very context. Think of the social landscape. Snuffboxes like these were status symbols during the mid-18th century. It was displayed and used, a way to say you had money and access to fashionable goods. Editor: A form of performative consumption, meant to solidify class distinctions, perhaps? These displays reinforced the hierarchy between the landed gentry, who produced things, and the elites that merely acquired and used them for vanity's sake? The snuff itself came to Europe due to the conquests in the Americas. Curator: Precisely. Now, look at the six scenes of putti at play. They represent an idealized vision of leisure. Are these the wealthy elites or is this work creating an "every person" representation of playful bliss that masks real hardships endured by children during this time? Editor: Interesting. It definitely pushes those thoughts around, the way such imagery has been utilized, appropriated even. The child-like innocence juxtaposed with the extreme display of opulence feels intentionally conflicting. It challenges any straightforward reading of "innocent merriment," right? Curator: Consider that the snuffbox probably belonged to someone entrenched in those power structures. Having art, possessing it, commissioning it - all active participation that is far removed from that innocent putti that adorn it. The choice to portray cherubic figures as pure play belies darker elements such as the abuse and inequality children had and have historically. Editor: This elevates my understanding. At first glance, its beauty felt somewhat shallow and trite but delving deeper it exposes power dynamics and cultural anxieties that prevailed during the 1700's as much as it haunts the present day. Curator: Absolutely, it forces us to consider our own complicity in consumption and what value we place in luxury versus those marginalized around and displaced because of luxury items. Editor: So much complexity nestled within such a petite gilded box.