Mustard Pot 1757

This mustard pot was made out of porcelain by the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres in France. This object speaks to the material culture of elite society. Objects like these were collected and displayed to show off the owner’s wealth. The Sèvres factory was supported by the French crown and catered to aristocratic tastes. The expensive materials and intricate decoration signaled luxury, while the presence of floral motifs may allude to notions of naturalism. But this pot also speaks to the institutional history of art production. Royal patronage was vital for the success of Sèvres, and its products actively promoted a conservative aesthetic that upheld existing hierarchies. To understand this better, we can examine archival documents and historical scholarship and analyze the political economy of art in 18th-century France. This helps us interpret its meaning as a reflection of broader social and institutional forces.