Preuningkan c. 1540 - 1560

Editor: Here we have "Preuningkan", a ceramic relief sculpture from the mid-16th century, crafted by Paul Preuning. I'm really struck by the layered figuration and those deep blues. What stories do you think this object tells? Curator: Oh, this isn't just an object; it's a stage! Picture Renaissance Europe, awash in new stories and rediscovering old ones. This jug, believe it or not, served probably beer or wine to a wealthy individual, maybe someone newly wealthy keen on showing off refined, humanist taste. Each level is like a carefully curated tableau— almost as though you're looking into a dollhouse, aren't you? Notice the playful tension between classical motifs and everyday scenes. I'd imagine the owner showing off the depth of detail to dinner guests – an impressive demonstration of skill. What sort of stories might they be relating? Editor: It seems like there's both religious and classical subject matter? So it would have served many functions for this individual, like displaying a worldview. Curator: Exactly. In some ways, they are ancient meme formats - stories everybody would recognize. If it looks both expensive, new and smart, then you want to show it off, don’t you? I wonder what our ceramics will be saying about *us* in five hundred years? Editor: I didn't even think of the beer jug as being an indicator of wealth. Now I look at it differently. Curator: Precisely! Isn’t it marvelous how an object we might just pass by can unlock such vivid tales if you simply lend your ear—or in this case, your eye—and a dash of imagination?