Cup with two horsemen in a landscape c. 1775 - 1799

Curator: What a charming object! We're looking at a porcelain cup, made around 1775-1799 by Fabriek Dominique Denuelle. It’s entitled "Cup with two horsemen in a landscape" and currently resides in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It’s beautiful, almost understated. The white porcelain is so clean, and then the gilded trim and the small vignette create this miniature world. The cup format makes me think of ritual. Who was drinking from this? Curator: Exactly! The elite, certainly. Porcelain in this era signified not just wealth, but also taste and refinement. Notice how the cup transforms a pastoral scene, traditionally enjoyed by the land-owning class, into an object of personal consumption and status. Editor: And the Rococo influence! The delicate details, that gold filigree border. I’m struck by the artistry involved in shaping the ceramic, but also in rendering the landscape so meticulously on such a small scale. The process of making is as intricate as the picture itself. What did labor look like here? Curator: It’s important to acknowledge the conditions under which objects like this were made, given that such skilled labor came at a social price. We have to consider not only the object's beauty, but also the social inequalities perpetuated by its creation. Editor: Of course. This tiny object then reflects the dynamics of its time. I almost wonder if there is any irony here. Is it mocking rural ideals or upholding them? Curator: It's a good question. The image of the horsemen implies a world of leisure and privilege. The artistic choices reinforce those power structures. It’s like a mini-manifesto of the era’s class divides served with your morning tea. Editor: Well, now I am rethinking the decorative choices entirely. What a complicated little cup! Curator: Precisely! Its value lies in its many meanings, if we know where to look. Editor: Right. Beauty, privilege, labor. The layers become visible as we reflect on material and means.