This milk jug was created by Porseleinfabriek Den Haag, although the exact date of its creation remains unknown. Porcelain objects like this were more than functional; they were emblems of status and taste in a society increasingly defined by consumerism. The jug’s delicate rendering of cherubs and pastoral scenes evokes a sense of idyllic leisure. However, this idealized vision obscures the realities of the time. Consider how the consumption of milk, often sweetened with sugar, was directly tied to colonial economies and the exploitation of enslaved peoples. What appears as a charming domestic object carries the weight of global power dynamics. As you observe the milk jug, consider the stories it silently tells about privilege, labor, and the complex intersections of beauty and injustice.
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