Bulb pot c. 1750

Editor: Here we have an earthenware "Bulb Pot" from around 1750. It's anonymously created in England. It's boxy, quite different than what I'd expect a planter to look like. The blue and white scene gives me a relaxed feeling. What do you make of it? Curator: I find the use of earthenware interesting, particularly in the 18th century. The ubiquity of readily available clay meant almost anyone could fashion useful objects. Its function isn’t purely aesthetic; it literally sustains life. What does it mean when we elevate such objects with painted landscapes, scenes normally reserved for "fine art"? Editor: So you’re suggesting the material itself changes the reading of the piece? Curator: Precisely! These bulb pots are simultaneously high art and low craft, disrupting rigid hierarchical boundaries. Look closely, what is being depicted? Miniature, generic landscapes are essentially being mass-produced here to ennoble the functional object. Note, it can mass-produced through printing techniques for applying the design or it may hand painted depending on time constraints. Editor: Now that you mention it, it’s interesting to think about how the labor involved in creating this impacts its meaning. Was this readily available? Curator: That’s another interesting question! The labour conditions behind even seemingly innocuous things, like this planter, reflect complex relations of production and consumption of the day. It prompts us to reflect on the socio-economic systems and hierarchies that enabled its existence. Editor: This was truly enlightening, I will definetly keep the production aspect in mind moving forward! Curator: Indeed! Thinking about production provides us with the opportunity to broaden our understanding of any given artwork!