Salver (one of a pair) 1730

Curator: Look at the gleam on this! It's practically shouting Baroque splendor. I want to run my hands all over it. Editor: Precisely, that visceral pull towards its materiality is what makes it compelling. This is one of a pair of silver salvers created around 1730 by Paul de Lamerie, currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum. Consider it a prime example of luxury craftsmanship. Curator: "Luxury craftsmanship" sounds so sterile. For me, the etched surfaces conjure a vision of high society. The center crest makes me think of furtive letters carried to someone’s doorstep and scandal whispered in crowded drawing rooms. Editor: Well, precisely! Such craftsmanship was predicated on a system. Think about the labor, the raw materials mined and processed, and how the final object reinforced social hierarchies. The surface decoration almost veils its means of production, right? Curator: I like that thought. It reminds me, sometimes the most precious objects can feel strangely haunted. All this history held in the silver, these hidden narratives. It's the tension between opulence and unspoken labor, right? Editor: Exactly. And look closer—the silver, as a material, connects diverse histories: from colonial exploitation to silversmithing innovations in workshops like Lamerie’s. Its social value transcended purely functional terms. Curator: What I appreciate about the Baroque, you know, objects like this salver, is how unashamedly decorative it all is. There is almost no empty space, but then the eye just finds stillness and it feels quiet! Editor: It invites us to consider its initial context: Who used it, what for? Understanding that gives a sharper picture, as opposed to viewing art in purely aesthetic terms. Curator: But that aesthetic experience... there’s something undeniably powerful in how this object makes us feel, which then maybe urges you on to research all the wider concerns? Editor: A dialectical relationship, perhaps? But hopefully, at least, by thinking about the broader systems in place, we gain a deeper understanding. Curator: Definitely a story here waiting to be discovered. I would never just think, "Oh, it’s a pretty tray!". Editor: Neither would I, of course! I wonder if this will shift how people understand luxury—or even begin questioning its narratives!