Pear still bank c. 1870

Curator: So, this is the Pear still bank, circa 1870, crafted from ceramic. You know, anonymous folk art often reveals fascinating insights into social values. Editor: It strikes me as simultaneously charming and unsettling. The weighty pear shape is rendered in this glazed, slightly sickly yellow, and then you have that rather stark vertical slot cutting right through it. There's a tension between playfulness and practicality. Curator: Absolutely. The rise of these still banks reflected a growing middle class and the increasing emphasis on thrift. Encouraging children to save was about instilling certain capitalist virtues, it's preparing them for participation in the new modern economy. Editor: Right, the "virtue" of delayed gratification embodied in such mundane, though lovely, object. And consider how that simple slot, functionally driven, disrupts the pear's smooth contour and symmetrical form. It's almost violent, a mark upon perfection. Curator: And fruit, of course, has been imbued with symbolism throughout art history. Here, though, it's domesticated, repurposed into something entirely functional within a household. The loss of cultural reference, repurposed by economics. Editor: Though isn’t that color choice interesting? It imitates the real world, yes, but slightly misses. That adds to a feeling of surrealness, like we are seeing the ideal pear. I think that exaggeration points toward a visual language and appeal beyond a utilitarian function. Curator: Certainly. The mass production of such banks also speaks to larger issues of industrialization and consumerism in the late 19th century. It shows we moved from local craftsmen to widespread distribution. Editor: It’s fascinating to see those forces at play within this seemingly simple form. That initial tension that I spoke of—that's not just formal, that is an expression of socio-economic currents as revealed through its shape, surface and incisions. Curator: Indeed. This seemingly simple fruit, it reflects many different levels of significance. Editor: Ultimately, the dialogue we see between its utility, artistry, and symbolic value provides a glimpse into the world of the late 1800s.