Tray (one of a set) 1745 - 1747

This porcelain tray was created by the Doccia Porcelain Manufactory, active between 1737 and 1896. The scene illustrates a woman in elaborate dress holding a basket, accompanied by a fowl and a duck. It’s easy to read this as a simple pastoral scene, yet the story told in the depiction of the woman speaks to the complex interplay between class, gender, and societal roles. Is she a noble woman playing at being a shepherdess, or is she something else? The Doccia manufactory produced wares for the elite, and yet, within these objects we often find a mirror of the social and political theater of the era. The scene on the tray invites us to consider the emotional dimensions of luxury and identity, while subtly commenting on the artificiality of social roles. It gently challenges viewers to consider how constructed identities are performed and consumed within society.