Centerpiece coupé (bowl) c. 1927 - 1928

Editor: So, this is a ceramic centerpiece coupè, or bowl, from around 1927-1928 by M. Desnet. It feels very streamlined and modern, but also cold, somehow. How do you interpret this work? Curator: The "coldness" you perceive resonates. We can view its streamlined aesthetic not simply as stylistic, but as reflecting the socio-political climate of the interwar period. Consider the rise of industrialization and its impact on labor and societal structures. Does that severe geometric base remind you of constructivist art and design? Editor: Yes, the base definitely feels Constructivist. So, you're suggesting the bowl reflects broader changes of that time? Curator: Absolutely. Think about the push for functionalism in design, a desire to move away from ornamentation and towards practical objects. But there’s a duality here. A centerpiece bowl remains a symbol of bourgeois domesticity, of carefully cultivated appearances. The bowl becomes a site of tension between progress and tradition, utility and display. Does the material itself—ceramic—speak to that at all? Editor: That’s a great point. Ceramic, while practical, can also be quite precious, a symbol of craftsmanship, so it contains both themes. Curator: Precisely. And consider the highly polished surface of the bowl – its near metallic sheen disrupts our expectations of ‘traditional’ ceramic work, reflecting a shifting definition of what craft is, or can be, in the machine age. What are your thoughts on the presentation of food using such dishware? Editor: That makes so much sense! I never considered that the artist was consciously using modern design to challenge the traditional association of ceramic with functionality. Curator: Ultimately, objects like these prompt us to examine the intersection of aesthetics, material culture, and the societal forces that shape them, even now. Editor: This really changed the way I view design objects; there's so much going on beneath the surface!