Dish (one of a pair) 1763 - 1764

Curator: Oh, how the light catches this piece! What are your first thoughts about this Dish? Editor: Utterly Rococo, darling! The sinuous curves and shimmering silver are pure playful elegance. It whispers of extravagant feasts and candlelight. Curator: Precisely! It's crafted from silver, a sculptural object that dates back to 1763-1764, a product of the artisan Jean-Louis Morel. You can currently find this Dish on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Morel certainly captured the exuberance of the period. But it’s more than just surface decoration, isn’t it? I mean, observe the edge of the plate. It's an exercise in balancing symmetry and asymmetry. Each curve subtly mirrors yet deviates from the other. Curator: Yes, there’s a studied control beneath the flourish. A dance between control and wild expression. Editor: Indeed. It speaks to the Rococo ethos—pleasure and artistry intertwined. Think about what would have been presented on a piece like this… delicate pastries, succulent fruits... Imagine the narratives a simple object like this held through each and every encounter, right? Curator: It's lovely to think of what hands passed it around! What stories it would hold. It's funny, but looking at the silver made me think of looking at the moon... You know, so many possibilities, each encounter leaving a faint imprint of emotion on the silver surface of things. Editor: Beautifully put. The dish becomes a repository, reflecting both light and the subtle drama of human interaction. In its reflective sheen, it holds traces of time and use. Curator: Right! It transcends mere function, becoming an object of contemplation. Perhaps that’s the ultimate luxury it provides. Editor: A silvered meditation on elegance, enjoyment, and ephemerality itself. Morel's dish is so much more than just a pretty platter; it’s a symbol of an era’s embrace of beauty and fleeting moments. Curator: Yes, and in looking back at objects like these, we see a glimmer of how beautiful this embrace could be.