Globe still bank c. 1920

Editor: We’re looking at "Globe still bank," around 1920, from an anonymous artist. It's earthenware – a lovely green ceramic sphere showing a sort of vintage world map, complete with a coin slot! It makes me think about old-fashioned childhoods somehow. What about you, what leaps out at you? Curator: Well, right away, I get a nostalgic buzz, you know? It's like holding a memory. This wasn't just a way to save pennies; it was a little geography lesson, a whisper of global ambition right there on your shelf. Imagine kids saving up for…what? Candy? A trip around the world, maybe? Editor: A candy-fueled trip round the world! Though I'm curious – green is an interesting colour choice for a globe, isn’t it? It feels less about geographical accuracy, more about… well, what do you think it's about? Curator: Oh, exactly! That bold green grabs you, right? It's not about a realistic Earth; it’s more like Earth as a concept, an idea. I picture that bright glaze firing up the imagination, turning a mundane task like saving into something almost magical. And earthenware…it's so humble, so of the earth. Does that colour call something to mind for you, visually? Editor: I suppose that green, being almost moss-like, has a quality that almost recalls something growing? Almost alive? Curator: Precisely! It is no accident. That interplay of global ambition and humble means...that, to me, is what makes this simple piece so darn fascinating. It's about the promise of growth, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely. A world of possibilities contained in one green, ceramic sphere. I will have to reconsider my own saving strategies. Thank you. Curator: Anytime! I think there's an argument that art changes you, so hopefully, there's at least a little less debt in both our futures.