Circular tureen with cover 1760 - 1770

Curator: Immediately striking is its gleam, the play of light over those intricately worked surfaces. There is a decadence here, no? Editor: It absolutely embodies the Rococo spirit. The piece is a silver circular tureen with a cover, crafted by Hermann Neupert II, sometime between 1760 and 1770. It’s currently housed here at The Met. What interests me is this relationship between form and power; a tureen elevated to the status of sculpture. Who has access? Who is permitted to enjoy this type of extravagance? Curator: Exactly. Think about the socio-economic implications embedded within such a material. The labor, extraction, and craftsmanship... the accessibility, too. These highly embellished objects often mask realities. Let's also discuss the pure craftsmanship! This piece demanded skilled labor and time, shaping silver, creating those details, like the handles—are those birds? Editor: Quite! Birds, leaves, cascading floral patterns across the body and lid of the tureen. A bounty that speaks to a culture of plenty and of nature's ability to provide and nourish. Consider the status symbol embedded. How does gender intersect with our viewing of these works, in particular? Rococo, too often cast aside, or thought of as lesser than in terms of visual vocabulary and meaning. How often have women artists or patrons of art been excluded from the Rococo narrative? Curator: It's a crucial point. We must move beyond aesthetic appreciation and into a critical understanding of its construction. I am thinking of the power dynamics intrinsic to this object as a signifier of taste. Whose tastes are deemed valuable? Where and why does the labour, time, and resources align to create work like this, in society, overall? Who gets erased? Editor: By acknowledging and engaging in that history we can perhaps grapple more thoughtfully with our contemporary values, beliefs, and the ongoing labor practices that fuel our modern existence. Curator: It’s a beautiful, thought-provoking piece, laden with stories both on and beneath its surface. Editor: Indeed. This opulent object invites us to engage with critical awareness, seeing the social narratives interwoven in its materiality.