First Book of Vases 1737

Curator: This is "First Book of Vases," a print by Edme Bouchardon, created in 1737 and held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. What strikes you most about this piece? Editor: Immediately, the duality grabs me – the mirrored goats flanking this opulent vase. They look almost agitated, a bit of wildness contained within this rigid symmetry. Curator: Agreed, the goats lend it an intriguing energy. As a print, consider how this design likely functioned as a template for artisans. Bouchardon, though celebrated as a sculptor, designed these engravings specifically to be reproduced and applied, influencing the aesthetics of various decorative objects. Editor: Ah, so its value wasn't purely artistic in the sense of unique creation, but also its practical purpose as a template. But back to the image itself – I am interested in the goats; their horns and the garland they appear to hold give off strong Bacchic vibes. What are the potential stories embedded within these figures? Curator: Precisely. Bouchardon was deeply interested in classical antiquity, and those bacchanalian elements definitely evoke a sense of celebration and ritual. This imagery carries layers of cultural memory. Editor: Interesting… This wasn’t only decorative art but loaded with social meaning to some extent? I keep considering this as reproductive labor within artistic spheres of the period. These objects might also subtly signify status and cultivated taste. The vase becomes not just a container, but a carrier of cultural capital. Curator: Well put. The engraving medium itself – think about the labor involved in meticulously carving those lines, the press, the paper. And then think of all the applications of this template in creating vases, ornaments, and perhaps even textiles. Editor: And it really shows the ambition behind seemingly “minor” arts, aiming at refined audiences within a particular social system. In many ways, this book is the most interesting "vase" here. I'll definitely see this one differently from now on. Thank you for this interesting input, now let's move to the next artwork.