Pair of bottle vases 19th century

Curator: I’m struck by the incredible density of detail, almost claustrophobic, and rendered entirely in monochrome, despite its decorative qualities. It looks remarkably energetic and crammed. Editor: Today, we’re looking at a "Pair of Bottle Vases" and a single jug attributed to Samson and Company, crafted sometime in the 19th century. They are now part of the collection here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All ceramic, each piece has intricate ornamentation. Curator: It's hard to ignore the Eastern influences at play here. Floral patterns, long-tailed birds that hint at peacocks, and perhaps, phoenixes - they evoke an almost mythical, exotic past. Do you agree that these images function as windows to different cultural associations? Editor: Absolutely. The very act of emulation, of appropriating motifs from the East and transmuting them through a European lens, is telling. The method by which the artisans at Samson and Company sought to reproduce something authentic speaks volumes about 19th-century markets, desires, and class values. We’re essentially observing industrial production meet “exoticism,” for the growing middle classes. Curator: Considering it, what about the more hidden symbolisms, though? Flowers signify growth, vitality; birds symbolize freedom, ascension, even immortality. Woven together, they seem to project the dream of transformation and transcendence to me, packaged for the domestic space. Editor: I concede they certainly have visual power. However, it's the factory-like production methods, the means by which such objects were created, distributed, and ultimately consumed that pique my interest most. I am left asking questions about authenticity in mass reproduction... Curator: All compelling observations! It encourages viewers to consider what symbols and images they bring to their experiences of the artworks before them. Editor: Indeed, while pondering the complex web of craft, history, and industrial methods in production of artwork.