Pennenbak versierd met rozetten en zeepaardjes. c. 1900 - 1910

Curator: Ah, isn't this a delightful object? What you're looking at is a pen tray, or "Pennenbak" in Dutch, created by Jacob Pieter van den Bosch sometime between 1900 and 1910. You can find this metal piece, adorned with rosettes and sea horses, here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My goodness, what a shiny little thing. It reminds me of the sort of treasure a very stylish mermaid might use. Practical, but with such playful details—those tiny sea horses really make it. It’s just whispering elegance. Curator: The integration of the mythological—sea horses in this case—into the everyday, like a pen tray, was rather emblematic of decorative arts during the period. The decorative arts became highly commercialised towards the beginning of the 20th Century, with production being focussed in large workshops in big cities. Editor: Right, a functional sculpture almost, elevating even the act of putting down your pen! I imagine the weight of it in your hand adds to the gravitas, a little heavy treasure for important thoughts. Does its being mass produced change its intrinsic beauty or purpose though? Curator: Its purpose? Perhaps not. But I'd argue that mass production and marketability influenced the design. It meant works like this could disseminate ideas about taste and aspirational lifestyle far more broadly than a one-of-a-kind artwork. What we must consider is that it reflects an era, and even a certain social status that art became aligned with. Editor: A symbol of organised thoughts, neatly arranged. Perhaps I romanticise it a bit too much. Still, these charming little treasures ground the artistic pursuit into something of practicality in a historical landscape filled with chaos, right? Curator: Indeed! They illuminate social mobility, aspirations, and shifts in artistic creation. This modest pen tray gives one plenty to think about, I suppose. Editor: You know what, it's those details, the sea horses, they've got my imagination swimming now! A modest artefact turned sea tale...