Box 1725 - 1735

Curator: I find this “Box” absolutely charming; it's attributed to the Meissen Manufactory and dates from around 1725 to 1735. It's currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The rococo style is evident in its delicate porcelain material and decorative, almost fantastical landscape imagery. Editor: Wow, that’s delicate. It feels like a tiny world contained in a, well, box. The colors are so dreamy and the gold trim gives it a fancy aura; I bet it once held all kinds of secrets! Curator: Absolutely. Its creation period coincides with the peak of European interest in Asian art, reflecting a fascination with the exotic "Orient". Such porcelain works also played a role in the complex economic dynamics between Europe and Asia during the early modern period, shaped by imperial pursuits, colonial expansion, and international trade. The presence of landscapes aligns it with Chinoiserie, a European artistic style mimicking Chinese aesthetics. Editor: That explains the pagoda! There's a slightly whimsical feel to the whole scene. I like the way the painter balanced asymmetry, even though landscapes are involved: colors are contrasted, some space are deliberately left bare. This box could be precious from the outside to the content it holds: perfumes, jewelries... Who knows? Curator: The shape itself, slightly irregular and lobed, enhances this whimsy. It steers away from strict symmetry and geometric rigidity. That departure, while seeming merely decorative, signals a rejection of the Enlightenment’s prevailing emphasis on reason, which also echoes shifts in societal thought at the time, questioning older structures and paving the way for different social movements. Editor: You always make me see these little treasures in a much grander scheme of things! Now when I look at it, I see more than just a cute box. It feels rebellious in its own quiet way. Curator: Exactly, even decorative arts become entangled with history and with resistance. Editor: Alright. And next time I hide something inside a porcelain box, I’ll feel a little bit subversive! Curator: It would be in good taste, indeed.