Vase 1880 - 1890

Editor: So this is a porcelain vase, made sometime between 1880 and 1890 by Minton(s). It's currently here at the Art Institute of Chicago. I'm really drawn to the cherubic figure and the sort of Rococo revival vibe it gives off, with that sweet, delicate pink. How would you interpret a piece like this? Curator: Oh, isn’t it darling? This piece sings to me of playful decadence. I mean, just look at the creamy pastel shade, the gold embellishments... it whispers of aristocratic tea parties and stolen glances across a manicured lawn. But more than that, I think it encapsulates the Victorian obsession with romanticising the past, filtering it through a lens of their own sentimental sensibilities. That cherub isn’t just decorative, it’s longing and melancholy distilled into a chubby little figure, isn’t it? It's quite coy and cunning. Editor: That's a lovely image, tea parties and stolen glances. It’s interesting you say about romanticising the past – so it’s less about accurate historical recreation, and more about… projecting desires? Curator: Precisely! The Victorians were masters of reinvention, especially when it came to history. They weren't so much trying to live *in* the Rococo era, but rather, reimagining it as an era of impossible grace and innocence. This vase becomes less of a functional object, and more of a vessel containing a yearning for something that never truly existed. Wouldn't you agree? Editor: I see what you mean; it’s almost like they're building a fantasy world with porcelain and paint. Very cool. Curator: It's delightful, isn’t it? Like holding a tiny, exquisitely crafted daydream in your hands. And hopefully a small seed has been planted in your imagination. Editor: Definitely! I'll never look at a decorative vase the same way again.