Plate from "Swan Service" 1738

Curator: This is a plate from the Swan Service, manufactured by Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, currently residing in the Harvard Art Museums. The diameter is just over 30 centimeters. Editor: The subtle bas-relief and scalloped edge give it such a refined, almost ethereal quality. It's incredibly tactile for porcelain. Curator: The Swan Service was commissioned in the 18th century by Count Heinrich von Brühl, director of the Meissen factory and a powerful figure in the Saxon court. It represents a statement of personal and political power. Editor: Absolutely, and the way the light plays across the swirling water and the swans' bodies emphasizes the plasticity of the material—porcelain transformed into a dynamic tableau. Curator: It is also interesting to note how the swans, traditionally symbols of purity and grace, here become emblems of dynastic ambition and wealth. Editor: It offers a fascinating study in the interplay of form and function. Curator: Precisely, and a glimpse into the courtly rituals of a bygone era. Editor: I am left thinking about how the delicate surface belies the weighty messages it carries.