Herinneringsbord Boerenoorlog: boeren in de nevel 1899 - 1925

This is a plate, made by Petrus Regout, depicting the Boer War. It’s like a freeze-frame from a chaotic battle scene, right in the middle of your dinnerware. The black and white palette gives it a documentary feel, like an old photograph, but on porcelain. Look closely, and you’ll notice the texture of the plate itself, with this delicate, slightly raised pattern around the edge that contrasts with the gritty scene in the middle. It’s as if you are seeing a sort of domestic lens on what is being presented. There’s a kind of fog or blur effect throughout the image which softens the edges and brings a painterly, atmospheric touch to the whole piece, like something by Whistler, or perhaps, Goya. It seems appropriate, somehow, that something as brutal as war should be caught in something as delicate as porcelain. It's a conversation, isn't it? History, memory, fragility.