Vase 1820

Editor: Here we have a ceramic vase made by the Wedgwood Manufactory in 1820. I'm struck by how the pale yellow contrasts with the vivid blue relief figures, creating this crisp, classical feel. How should we interpret this vase? Curator: It's fascinating to consider the role objects like these played in shaping and reflecting 19th-century taste. Wedgwood was a master of using historical styles to appeal to a growing middle class. It allowed for domestic access to historically revered art forms previously limited to aristocracy, which allowed people to engage with powerful social and political ideas about civic virtue. Consider how the Neoclassical style was deployed to evoke the grandeur of ancient Greece and Rome, lending legitimacy to contemporary social orders. Do you see the specific imagery being presented here? Editor: Yes, I see what appears to be Greek or Roman figures and what looks like grapes at the base, suggesting maybe Bacchus or some sort of festival. Curator: Exactly! Wedgwood mass-produced items featuring motifs linked to ideas of elevated status. Owning a vase like this signaled a certain level of education and cultural awareness and enabled the individual to claim a position amongst the upper tiers of society. By recreating and dispersing historically-revered images into a market-available piece, Wedgwood was effectively shaping perceptions and desires. These visual symbols weren't just pretty; they had social and economic implications. Editor: So it’s less about the artistic innovation of this specific vase, and more about what it represented culturally and how its existence shaped a desire for classical things among a new market. Fascinating! I had no idea so much thought went into pieces like this. Curator: Precisely! It prompts us to question how objects shape not just our aesthetic sense but also our understanding of history and our place within the world.