Buckle c. late 18th century

Curator: Here we have a ceramic buckle, made around the late 18th century by the Wedgwood Manufactory. Isn’t it a stunning example of neoclassicism? Editor: It is. My immediate impression is how serene and almost dreamlike it appears. That blue really sets off the white figure. Is it Jasperware? Curator: Exactly! Wedgwood perfected Jasperware. Notice the bas-relief technique; the figure seems to emerge from that striking blue ground. The depiction presents a classical figure in flowing robes, gracefully holding what appears to be a Grecian urn. Editor: Yes, everything speaks of a certain restrained elegance. Blue itself, in visual symbolism, suggests both tranquility and authority, and placing the pure white figure against it lends the piece a certain weight. The woman reminds me of depictions of Psyche or possibly even Hope. What do you think she represents? Curator: Symbolically, she might represent piety, or offering, a sort of grace made material. These were popular motifs; neoclassicism, of course, looked back to the supposed simplicity and virtues of the classical world. It would have been a fashionable accessory. I picture someone of means adorning their garments with it, announcing their refined taste. Editor: These objects, I always find, really compress a vision of the world into a portable, personal statement. A beautiful miniature representing ideal aesthetic values from its time. Curator: Absolutely, a small window into a larger cultural landscape, and such landscapes were quite different! You might wonder what anxieties or aspirations such imagery soothed at the time. Editor: Definitely makes you think about it, the hopes pinned on a cameo-like this. Curator: The weight of those ideals and personal statements held within such a small object, amazing!