Schotel, beschilderd met planken waarop prenten zijn bevestigd c. 1778 - 1782

This is a painted Loosdrecht porcelain cup with saucer from the Netherlands. The cup is decorated with painted planks with prints attached. I'm struck by the way that the representation of wooden planks, typically a material of the working class, is here elevated through the delicate medium of porcelain. These are, no doubt, a reference to colonial trade. They serve as a background for prints that would have been popular at the time, but also may have been intended to evoke something deeper, such as the relationship between the Netherlands and its colonies. The images, seemingly innocuous, are carefully curated to present a particular narrative, one of harmony and order that conceals the complexities of colonial power. This cup is not merely an object of consumption, it is a container of history, laden with the stories and power dynamics of its time.