Snuffbox 1744 - 1755

Editor: This beautiful object is a porcelain snuffbox, crafted between 1744 and 1755 by the Saint-Cloud factory. The decorative floral and figure elements, combined with the Rococo style, give it a delicate feel. What strikes me most is the way the artisan integrated imagery of leisure onto such an everyday object. How do you interpret this piece? Curator: This snuffbox offers us a glimpse into the material culture of the 18th century elite. We can see how the labor involved in producing such an object, from mining the raw materials to the detailed painting, reflects social hierarchies. Note the porcelain itself - it was an extremely precious material, closely guarded as a trade secret in its original sites of production, before the West successfully learned how to produce it. How do you see the materiality speaking to social issues of labor, materiality, and consumption? Editor: It’s interesting to consider how a seemingly simple object carries such weight, given how carefully its creation would have been monitored, and how consumption drove trade. I suppose this changes how we might regard such “decorative art.” But the snuff itself--tobacco—where did it come from? Curator: Exactly. Porcelain was a sought after status symbol in Europe and part of its value comes directly from the exploitation of global trade routes. When you combine it with tobacco, grown through exploited labor, we see the whole scope of empire. That the artisan decorates the exterior so lovingly speaks volumes. Editor: It’s really incredible to consider how many hands and resources were involved in such a tiny object. Thanks for illuminating all this, and expanding my view of it. Curator: My pleasure. Looking at the material conditions helps us unpack a lot of meaning from art.