Drankservies van zilver, koper en kokosnoot 1869 - 1887

Curator: Here we have a photographic still life from between 1869 and 1887, currently held in the Rijksmuseum’s collection. The piece depicts three drinking vessels, composed of silver, copper, and coconut. What’s your initial reaction? Editor: Intricate. Immediately, I feel this strange mix of decadence and darkness—these ceremonial objects almost feel a little menacing, maybe it's the monochromatic photograph giving me that impression. The detailing is so meticulous, a labour of love, or perhaps even of obligation. Curator: I think the interplay of materials speaks volumes, and your darkness impression could derive from coconut itself as a tropical import, made luxury through labour elsewhere, then rendered further so through silversmithing traditions right here. Editor: Precisely. It’s as if the vessels are trophies, evidence of power. Someone sought these raw materials and fashioned them, bent to their vision of artistry and luxury. Imagine the banquets, the toasts they witnessed! And is that figure on the central goblet a little Roman solider or an aristocratic cupid? Curator: A leader I suspect. These were definitely statements of wealth, skill, and global reach—high value materials elevated through intense labor. We need to think about these objects in motion—the trade networks supporting such skilled hands in creation. What meaning can we discern of the forms used here? The curves? The statuettes? The ornate carving? Editor: I do like that the symmetry makes the goblets looks solid and weighty. The dark and pale colours of their component pieces help their design details to be viewed well, as they all pop against each other! If you are hosting, why hide yourself? Curator: Right. So this anonymous photographer does more than document objects: the photo captures these commodities charged with meaning. It freezes them in time to now question, interrogate how artistry and labour were and are consumed and valued. Editor: Absolutely. They're far more than simply pretty drinking cups! To think of what stories they have told. A still and studied photo for pieces still steeped in life! Thank you for these observations, these drinks were worth savoring!