Pa. German Tobacco Bowl w/ Lid c. 1936

Editor: So this is Albert Levone's *Pa. German Tobacco Bowl w/ Lid*, from around 1936. It looks like it's a watercolor and drawing on ceramic. The reddish-brown tones give it an earthy, almost antique feel, even though it's a two-dimensional representation. What strikes you about it? Curator: Well, first off, what a beautifully quirky rendering of an object! Levone's flattened perspective reminds me of folk art traditions, where function and decoration dance a delightful jig together. That lamb on the lid seems very content surveying its domain! What do you make of the seemingly deconstructed handle to the right? It’s just floating there like a visual footnote. Editor: That's so true, it does! I hadn’t considered the handle's placement; maybe it's to show us every angle of the bowl at once? Curator: Perhaps. Or perhaps Levone is gently poking fun at the conventions of still life. It is tempting to see the work as just a practical drawing, made in order to document something – but somehow, I think it is more than just a practical representation. This feels personal; maybe a tender recollection. The lettering, although stylised, feels slightly shaky, so makes me think about his hand. Can't you almost feel the gentle sway of memory in that imperfection? Editor: I do! That makes me wonder what this bowl meant to him, like a portrait of a memory itself. Curator: Exactly! It has layers, doesn’t it? Making something so prosaic also poetic. Editor: It definitely gives a humble tobacco bowl a new level of… resonance. Curator: It sings a song, don’t you think? A lovely little tune about home and heritage.