Dish with a bouquet and flower sprays c. 1800 - 1849

This dish with a bouquet and flower sprays, crafted in porcelain by Kaiserliche Porzellanmanufaktur, offers a delicate interplay of form and decoration. The eye is immediately drawn to the central arrangement of flowers, where the soft, gradated purples and pinks of the blooms contrast with the stark white background. The composition here is strategically asymmetrical. The floral bouquet isn’t perfectly centered, and instead is slightly off-kilter, creating a dynamic tension. Smaller, scattered flower sprays act as visual anchors, guiding the eye around the dish’s irregular, lobed rim. This asymmetry destabilizes traditional notions of formal balance and suggests a more organic, spontaneous aesthetic. Note how the artist uses colour to create depth. The careful layering of hues, from the rich tones of the central bouquet to the subtle pastels of the surrounding sprays, gives the flowers a three-dimensional presence. Ultimately, the dish plays with conventions of design and representation, inviting a re-evaluation of what constitutes beauty.