Large Platter with Fish 1850 - 1875

Victor Barbizet made this large ceramic platter sometime in the mid-19th century. Barbizet was a master of the 19th-century French style called "rustic figuline," which often featured highly naturalistic depictions of plants and animals. This platter offers us a glimpse into the Victorian era's complex relationship with nature. At a time of rapid industrialization, nature was seen as a source of beauty but also as something to be dominated and controlled. In this platter, fish, reptiles, and flora are arranged in a way that is both lifelike and meticulously composed, reflecting a desire to capture and curate the natural world. Notice the dark ground and how the animals seem to be crawling out towards us. Do you notice how the snake coils along the edge? What does this platter say about our understanding of food today? I wonder, does the platter evoke a sense of abundance, or does it highlight the tension between the natural world and human intervention?