Vase 1723 - 1725

Curator: Here we have a "Vase" crafted between 1723 and 1725 by the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, currently residing at the Art Institute of Chicago. It's a captivating piece of decorative art, showcasing the early heights of European porcelain production. Editor: My first thought is of delicate storytelling. The blue on white is immediately calming, but the scenes create such an intricate world on its surface. It’s more than a vase; it feels like a portable landscape. Curator: Absolutely. Meissen was, after all, the first to successfully produce hard-paste porcelain outside of Asia, a feat achieved in the early 18th century under the patronage of Augustus the Strong. Pieces like this were integral to demonstrating Saxony's economic and cultural power. Editor: You see the socio-political landscape, I see a journey into dreamscape, don’t you agree? Each image, a willow tree, figures in repose, the blossoms, everything recalls ancient Chinese symbols, a deep well of cultural memory being tapped by these artists. Curator: Indeed. There’s a conscious imitation, yes. It’s impossible to ignore the influence of Chinese porcelain, which was highly prized and collected amongst European elites. Meissen appropriated these images to establish legitimacy. It suggests wealth and power through cultural mastery. Editor: It’s interesting that you interpret that through the lens of cultural dominance when I see longing, almost a kind of nostalgic reaching. The careful arrangement of images almost performs a play of tradition in the face of enormous cultural shifts. Curator: That is not something the ruling elite, and certainly not Augustus the Strong, would allow: acknowledging uncertainty and anxiety through symbolism! However, the artists that are crafting those porcelain vases, might have more liberty and less imposed ideas about what should be portrayed. It’s also not meant to display any sort of subversion, more a longing for the style so sought-after at that time. Editor: And perhaps therein lies the enduring power of this “Vase”, wouldn’t you agree? Whether it's prestige, desire, tradition or anything in-between, it presents such richness of meaning to us. Curator: Well, that has made me reconsider the role that material culture plays in projecting complex sets of negotiations in a society that believed it was at its cultural peak.