Plooischotel, achtlobbig. In het midden in reliëf een bacchanaal met vier kinderen in een landschap. 1677

Curator: This is an eight-lobed plate, or plooischotel, made of stoneware by Nicolaas Mensma in 1677. Its central motif is a relief depicting a bacchanal with four children set within a landscape. It strikes me as a celebration of abundance and youthful energy. What catches your eye? Editor: My immediate reaction is to the almost overwhelming opulence of the design. The relentless floral relief surrounding the central scene reads less as simple decoration and more as a demonstration of virtuosity in ceramic production. It speaks volumes about labor. Curator: It's certainly visually rich. That central image of frolicking children, though, I read as a potent symbol of unbridled joy, and perhaps, a longing for a Golden Age. Are there symbolic clues here beyond the bacchanal itself? Editor: Perhaps, but I am immediately drawn back to the artistry, the method, and the skill. I can only imagine how many hours the artisan took to create something so dense and intricate in relief work. Each petal, each curl in their hair! This speaks to specialized skill and a very refined patronage. It is less 'Bacchanal,' and more 'the heights of craftsmanship within a very specific economic and cultural setting.' Curator: Fair enough! Though, the bacchanal itself points us to classical imagery that often signifies not only joy but also transformation and divine madness. Perhaps it reflects an aspiration for ecstatic experiences, filtered through the lens of the Baroque period. Editor: It's an interesting thought. I do tend to view the classical revival in the Baroque as less an interest in genuine transformation and more an affectation of power. In rendering the Bacchanal theme with ceramic rather than precious metal, do you find any implication related to democratized craft practices of the era? Curator: That is indeed an insightful question. It highlights the tensions between artistic innovation and commercial demand during that time. However, I'd contend that rendering such classically rooted scenes on a household plate suggests, in addition to refined practices, a deeper cultural permeation of classical ideas. Perhaps domesticating the divine. Editor: So, we have here a material record of both exceptional skill and pervasive social values intertwined in a single object of functional, if ornamented, design. A tangible demonstration of consumption habits meeting specialized labour practices! Curator: Precisely! It’s fascinating how this one plate sparks a discourse spanning mythology and material realities. Editor: Indeed! A plate filled to the brim, if you will, with avenues for interpretation.