Cilidrical covered box in the shape of a cricket's cage c. 1675 - 1699

Curator: This delicate piece, crafted circa 1675 to 1699, presents as a cylindrical covered box in the shape of a cricket's cage, currently held in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Oh, it's utterly charming! Immediately I'm drawn to the colours—muted and earthy, like a little piece of the garden decided to become a fancy container. It reminds me of my grandmother’s porcelain collection, something you'd want to dust off and show off, you know? Curator: The aesthetic undeniably aligns with Asian art traditions, rendered in ceramic. The cricket cage motif speaks volumes about cultural attitudes toward nature and domesticity, suggesting a controlled yet idealized engagement with the natural world. The form itself reflects a desire to contain and curate experience. Editor: Contained experiences… hmm, maybe a little too controlled for my taste. Though, I appreciate the artistry of making a functional object so ornate. I imagine little melodies escaping it – well, if there was actually a cricket inside. The lines give it a subtle sense of depth like looking into the barred enclosure. Curator: We might consider the social hierarchies that sanctioned such exquisite, yet utilitarian, items. These pieces often stood as signifiers of status and refinement, implying complex networks of labour and consumption. The very existence of the box hinges on a controlled ecosystem, a practice laden with issues of power and dominion over the natural world. Editor: Okay, okay, I hear the activist in you kicking in! And yeah, maybe the cricket wasn’t thrilled. Still, can't we appreciate the… dare I say it, the quaintness? Maybe we should repurpose it as a biscuit jar? Revolutionize its function, challenge its historical context! Curator: That's an interesting redirection... ultimately it invites conversations around the relationship between historical objects, lived experience, and our ethical responsibility when we engage with artifacts laden with colonial undertones. Editor: I like the biscuit jar idea more but fair enough... a good conversation starter either way.