Silver Chocolate Pot c. 1936

Leo Drozdoff made this pencil on paper drawing of a silver chocolate pot sometime before his death in 1964. Looking at it, we might consider how this image reflects the cultural values and social structures of its time. On the surface, we can see it depicts a luxury object. Chocolate pots like this were emblems of wealth and status, used by the elite in Europe and America for centuries. Drozdoff's meticulous rendering captures the intricate details of the pot’s design, from its hexagonal body to its floral engravings. The inscription on the pot suggests a specific context of presentation, perhaps a gift from a wealthy benefactor. Drozdoff's training, likely at an institution like an art school, would have emphasized the importance of capturing such details with accuracy and precision. Art historians can use sources like probate records, design catalogs, and social histories of consumption to understand the object in its full social context. By examining these resources, we can better understand the social world in which both the object and the drawing of it were produced.