Vase 19th century

Curator: Here we have a gilded vase created in the 19th century. The piece, now residing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is attributed to Elkington & Co., renowned for their contributions to decorative art. Editor: It immediately strikes me as decadent—the intense, all-over gilding, the elongated, almost attenuated neck...it exudes a kind of luxurious excess. Curator: It’s more than mere ornamentation, wouldn’t you say? The elaborate engravings across the bulbous body present an interplay of foliage and intertwined figures... their cultural symbolism deserves attention. Editor: Absolutely. Formally, though, it is quite interesting to see how the linear verticality of the neck contrasts and ultimately resolves with the rotund volume of the vase’s body, bringing visual balance to the composition as a whole. Curator: And there’s that sphere, that sort of ‘pregnant’ rondure in the midsection – speaking volumes to me, suggesting creation, the womb. Consider also the choice of gold itself, associated transhistorically with power, divinity. These aren't casual choices. Editor: Do you think that the reflective quality adds to this expression? The metal literally casts the light around the carvings and emphasizes the geometry, which may provide a sense of its significance. Curator: Indubitably. Metal endures; it reflects not just light, but historical memory, artistic ambition, the echoes of empires. What story is repeated here, though? The visual elements certainly suggest that its makers wished to connote some kind of exotic, opulent fantasy, a pseudo-Orientalist theme for consumption. Editor: Perhaps a demonstration of industrial skill, flaunting the mastery over precious materials and complex crafting methods, more than any genuine attempt to replicate historical symbolism. Curator: It reveals the Victorian era's obsession with not only amassing wealth but signaling it conspicuously through decorative art and design. Its story lies within the material but in its reflection on society at the time. Editor: A gleaming, fascinating microcosm, isn’t it? All the material and structural considerations we've been mentioning, the balance of verticality, the surface patterns, now further clarified with your iconographic understanding. Curator: And an artwork which seems quite relevant even today given society’s concerns about wealth and cultural appropriation. It can offer us a glimpse of our shared, symbolic history.