Dish cross 1761 - 1762

Editor: Here we have Samuel Herbert's "Dish Cross" from 1761-1762, crafted out of silver. I'm struck by how functional it appears, yet there's so much decorative detail. What can you tell us about its place in the broader material culture of the time? Curator: Certainly. This dish cross speaks volumes about 18th-century material practices. Silver wasn't merely decorative; it was a display of wealth and power, intricately linked to the social standing of its owner. The baroque style elements weren't simply aesthetic choices, they reflected specific modes of silver production, likely involving skilled labor and established workshops. What about the functionality intrigues you? Editor: Well, it looks almost like a piece of industrial equipment. Were such objects considered 'art' at the time, or were they strictly utilitarian, despite their adornment? Curator: That’s a brilliant point. The boundary between art and craft was quite fluid then. Silver objects like this dish cross operated within a system of patronage and consumption. It reveals insights into the eating habits, domestic rituals, and social interactions of the wealthy. How might the cross's purpose, holding a dish, influenced the choice of material? Editor: Presumably, the silver allowed it to withstand the heat and to be cleaned easily, perhaps making it preferable to other materials of the time. Curator: Precisely! It's a functional object deeply embedded in the material realities and economic structures of its time. It challenges our contemporary notions of 'high art' by highlighting the skill, labor, and materials that go into everyday objects of the wealthy elite. Editor: So it seems this dish cross embodies a fascinating intersection of functionality, social status, and the artistry of the silversmith, blurring the lines between the practical and the beautiful. Curator: Exactly. By examining objects like this, we uncover not just aesthetic preferences, but also the intricate network of production, consumption, and social meaning that shaped the lives of people in the past.