Miniature snuffers 1715 - 1735

Curator: Ah, the Baroque period; it's always like stepping into a daydream, isn't it? Now, if you cast your eye toward this meticulously crafted object, you’ll find a set of miniature snuffers. Created between 1715 and 1735, they are now held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Aren’t they something? Editor: Something practical, definitely! I can imagine the precision needed to craft something like this out of solid silver, where every snip counted. Did they really need something this elaborate just to deal with candle wicks? Curator: Need? Perhaps not, but remember that a show of refinement was part of daily rituals back then. Silver like this certainly served the function, but the value also demonstrated affluence. Imagine how a host presented these, like showing off a new watch today. Editor: It is more than practicality that intrigues me; consider the act of trimming the wick: such daily actions, labor rendered precious through skilled craft, but consider too the larger context—silver mined and moved across oceans, labor processes often obscured or disregarded, for what was essentially smoke and candlelight. Curator: Nicely put, thinking about all of that hidden effort. Now, to really muse on its Baroque flair – see how light would’ve caught its surfaces? Soft candlelight flickering over the precisely fashioned curves and the delicate engravings; these little embellishments surely would've held such beauty and importance. It feels dreamlike, considering its purpose against such detail. Editor: A testament to the ways craft could be harnessed to maintain a rigid social order... snuffing the metaphorical candle of the working class? Perhaps a bit on the nose. The silver practically sings of power structures! Curator: A bold perspective, though, for me, it still carries an emotional resonance that transcends politics. Editor: True enough, I think we both agree such artifacts spark broader considerations beyond mere beauty or practicality!