Monteith 1865 - 1885

Curator: This ornate metal object before us, crafted by Elkington & Co. between 1865 and 1885, is a "Monteith"—currently residing here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My first impression is how very silver and heavy it looks. What strikes you immediately? Editor: My god, look at this thing – it's just begging for punch, isn't it? Seriously, you could serve a crowd out of that bad boy. And all those tiny repeated details on its surfaces, the baroque curves; you could spend hours looking! Curator: Indeed. These were showpieces, luxury goods produced at a time of booming industry and imperial expansion. We have a collision here of class aspiration and highly developed skill with materials. And, the "Monteith" bowl itself is very interesting, as a name of the man who favored scalloped glasses; each placed inverted on the notch edged rim, with its foot inside the bowl! Isn't it wonderfully decadent to think about that?! Editor: Well, think about what it took to actually make this thing. The labor involved—the casting, chasing, and polishing... Every single one of those lines! All that careful, skilled labour so some posh people can dangle a glass! Curator: I suppose one can see a strange kind of beauty, in that though, don’t you think? In those times, artistry and meticulous craftsmanship converge within these kinds of items... It feels both terribly exclusive and yet speaks to broader innovations happening in decorative art. Editor: Maybe, if you like that sort of thing. I see class and consumption cast in gleaming silver and think that, the piece almost mocks labor value! Curator: Ah, but isn't that contrast something of an achievement? Something uniquely its own! Though the work asks questions about labour, class, taste, its gleaming visage begs a few deeper meditations of the eye itself. Editor: I guess you're right about that clash between intention and impact. You certainly have given me more food for thought today than silver. Curator: Gladly! I think what ultimately lingers is how material culture allows these little—or not so little—wonders to be made!