Warmer from -Tête à Tête- tea and coffee service 1939

This silver Warmer from -Tête à Tête- tea and coffee service, attributed to Arthur Leroy Barney, really makes me think about how objects carry memory. I imagine the silversmith carefully hammering and polishing, each mark a record of his touch, his intention, and his presence. What was Barney thinking when he made it? Was he thinking about the quiet moments shared over coffee, the intimate conversations, the warmth of human connection? Or the machine-like look, echoing a kind of futurism in design - the streamlined forms and metallic sheen—maybe a nod to speed and industry? The tea and coffee service feels so considered, so deliberate in its design, that it speaks to a whole history of design and material culture. It reminds me of some of the Bauhaus metalwork - a moment in the history of design when artists where concerned with how to combine aesthetics with use. Art and design are always responding to each other across time. It makes you wonder how we, as viewers and users, continue to shape and reshape its meaning through our own experiences.