Compote 1849

This compote was made by the Worcester Royal Porcelain Company. It is an object that speaks to the aspirations of the English middle class. During the 19th century, the decorative arts became central to bourgeois self-fashioning. Ceramics firms arose to meet the demand for pieces that could convey refinement and taste. Note how the owl in the center is framed by a landscape, which shows the era's growing appreciation of the natural world. The blue and gold trim reflects the period's interest in both classical and oriental aesthetics, which shows how industrialization allowed ordinary people to enjoy what were once luxury goods. Historians look at the price guides, letters, and advertisements that can tell us about the way such objects circulated in their own time. It is in this context that we can grasp the social meanings of an object like this compote.