Hexagonal dish (part of a set) 1650 - 1699

Editor: Here we have a hexagonal dish, part of a larger set, crafted from silver sometime between 1650 and 1699. The artist is Paulus Roth, and it's currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's visually striking; the floral ornamentation around the rim seems so opulent. How might we interpret this work? Curator: Consider silver production during that period. The Baroque style is evident, but let's think about the hands that shaped this piece. Where did Roth source the silver, and under what conditions was it mined? Silver was a global commodity intertwined with colonial exploitation. Editor: So, while admiring its beauty, we should also reflect on the potentially exploitative labour that contributed to its creation? Curator: Precisely. The elaborate floral designs might signify wealth and status, masking a history of extraction and unequal power dynamics. Can we truly appreciate its craftsmanship without acknowledging the social context of its creation? Also, to whom did this dish belong and what role did it have within the owner's social structure? Editor: I never considered that connection so explicitly before. It definitely casts a different light on something I initially perceived as simply decorative. Is this dish "art" if we think about it solely from a production point of view? Curator: That's the question, isn't it? By examining the processes, materials, and labour involved, we challenge those traditional distinctions. It forces us to rethink notions of artistic value, which typically privilege formal qualities or aesthetic beauty, at the expense of more direct economic or social context. Editor: Thank you; that's an eye-opening perspective. Now I see so much more complexity beneath the surface! Curator: Indeed, materiality provides a new layer of interpretation.