Saucer 1774 - 1814

Editor: This dainty saucer, created by the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, is adorned with a delicate floral motif. It’s quite charming. What do you make of its design, especially considering it’s from the Meissen factory? Curator: It's interesting to consider Meissen, known for its aristocratic clientele, producing something with such seemingly simple botanical decoration. The very act of creating porcelain was steeped in power dynamics, weren’t the materials and the skilled labor used to create this object also a form of colonial extraction and dominance? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. So, even a seemingly innocent floral design can be interpreted through the lens of colonial history? Curator: Absolutely. These objects were not simply decorative; they were signifiers of status and wealth, built upon complex global networks of power and exploitation. Editor: Fascinating. It makes you rethink how we approach even the most beautiful objects.