Tray from a tea service 1928

This is Jean Theobald’s Art Deco tea service tray, with its shiny surfaces and sharp angles. It’s not paint on canvas, but there’s a distinct painterly sensibility. I love that the different elements all sit on the tray as if they are in conversation, each form echoing the others: the way the angles and symmetry contrast with the soft reflections. The tray itself seems to have a sense of grounding, while the teapot, sugar bowl, and milk jug, assert their individual forms, reaching upwards. Imagine the artist deciding where each element would go, making sure they fit together, but also had space to breathe. It’s a bit like the relationship between colors in a painting, with each element resonating and balancing the other. There’s a quiet, thoughtful quality about it all. Each artist, each object, builds on what came before.