Plateau 1831 - 1832

This silver plateau was created by Richard Sibley I, an English silversmith who was born in 1793 and died in 1836. The scene depicted belongs to the Napoleonic wars, a period of conflict deeply entwined with notions of power, masculinity, and national identity. Reflecting on such imagery today, it's impossible not to consider the glorification of warfare and the social values it represents. The work promotes a heroic narrative around leadership and military might. But what about the perspectives of those who suffered due to these power struggles? Sibley seems to reinforce a traditional, patriarchal idea of heroism, where the cost of human life is secondary to notions of glory and conquest. The very act of immortalizing such scenes in precious metal raises questions about how we remember history and whose stories are deemed worthy of preservation. It invites us to reflect on how these historical representations continue to shape our understanding of leadership, power, and national identity.