Bowl 1705 - 1725

This delicate bowl was made at the Saint-Cloud factory sometime between 1693 and 1766. The porcelain tells a story of 18th-century French aristocratic life, where the rituals of tea and coffee drinking were laden with social and political meanings. The intricate blue patterns reflect a fascination with Asian aesthetics, which were highly prized and collected at the time. Owning such pieces was a display of wealth and worldliness. Yet, it also speaks to the complex dynamics of cultural exchange and appropriation, where the labor and knowledge of Asian artisans were often overlooked. Consider the hands that held this bowl, the conversations it might have witnessed, and the silent stories it carries of a world steeped in both beauty and inequality. It invites us to consider the intimacy of everyday objects and how they reflect the broader currents of history.