Wine glass cooler (Verriere) 1763 - 1766

This wine glass cooler was made in France by Protais Pidoux, sometime in the late 18th century. It’s made of faience, a type of tin-glazed earthenware, and decorated with delicate floral patterns. This object speaks to the rise of a new kind of consumer culture in 18th-century Europe. As global trade expanded, luxury goods became more accessible. Middle-class people were now eager to emulate the lifestyle of the aristocracy, which created a demand for refined objects like this wine cooler. Faience factories expanded across France to meet that demand. They borrowed the styles and techniques of porcelain manufacturing, but offered more affordable options for the aspiring middle class. You can learn a lot about the art market of the 1700s by consulting trade records from the period, as well as studies of middle-class households and lifestyles. From there, we can see this cooler as not just a pretty object, but also a document of emerging social and economic structures.