Silver Sugar Bowl with Cover c. 1936

Editor: This is "Silver Sugar Bowl with Cover," a coloured-pencil drawing from around 1936 by Frank Fumagalli. It's quite a realistic depiction, but I’m struck by how…domestic it feels. What stories can you imagine being associated with such a quotidian object? Curator: Exactly! The sugar bowl transcends its simple function. Consider the time period – the 1930s. The Great Depression loomed, yet here we have a silver sugar bowl, a symbol of luxury and aspiration amidst hardship. What does that juxtaposition tell us about societal values and the power of material objects to project a desired image? Editor: It’s interesting that you say that; I immediately thought about it speaking to a culture of class. The initials, or maybe a monogram, inscribed on the piece suggests ownership, family. Curator: Absolutely. Think about the act of serving sugar. Who is being served? What does that gesture signify in terms of social relationships and power dynamics? The ritual of tea or coffee becomes a stage for enacting and reinforcing social hierarchies, wouldn't you agree? Editor: I think so. Thinking about it as a pencil drawing versus the silver object changes how I look at it. Maybe the piece even questions how social hierarchies are formed when they are displayed and drawn. The medium suggests an interest and interrogation of those hierarchies. Curator: Precisely! Perhaps the drawing itself democratizes the object, making its image accessible beyond the circles that could afford the real thing. What might Fumagalli be suggesting about the accessibility of aspirational items? Editor: I never would have considered that, the potential critique imbedded in its production. Thanks for the insight. Curator: My pleasure. Seeing art as a social commentary offers endless interpretive possibilities, doesn't it?