Flowers in a golden vase, with three birds 1685 - 1715

Curator: Let’s take a look at this textile work entitled “Flowers in a golden vase, with three birds”, produced sometime between 1685 and 1715 by the Savonnerie Manufactory. It’s currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: What immediately strikes me is the formality of it, almost stiff. The arrangement is very symmetrical, and even with the depiction of organic material, it still evokes power and control. Curator: Yes, Savonnerie was a royal manufactory, associated with the court of Louis XIV. Floral still lifes at that time served not just as decoration but also as symbolic displays of wealth, power, and taste. The imagery of birds adds a layer, too, perhaps a nod to imperial themes, freedom, or messages. Editor: So the birds act as visual indicators of dominion and perhaps an aspirational freedom only enjoyed by the ruling classes. I find myself questioning if that aspiration, within the context of a society steeped in inequality, rings hollow? The artificiality of the tapestry feels… performative. Curator: Textiles held an interesting place in that court—on one hand, they represented the pinnacle of artistic skill, but on the other, they were susceptible to the changing tides of fashion and taste, even the whims of courtly life. They served to express power, as you noted, but were also fragile and contingent. Editor: The black background makes me think of how death was omnipresent, and was understood differently depending on one's social station, I am drawn to the transience suggested by the flower arrangement. Curator: It brings to mind how the imagery of flowers themselves shifts. We have the language of flowers where each blossom could represent a different sentiment or moral quality. Then the vase—in this artwork—acts as both the preserver of this temporary display and, by being prominently golden, a signifier of value. Editor: It makes you wonder who gets to decide the value and who suffers because of those decisions. Still, as a material artifact, it remains resonant as evidence of the social landscape from which it came. Curator: For me, contemplating such objects offers a glimpse into how societies use symbolic forms to create their own narratives and values.