Kop en schotels met twee leeuwenbeelden before 1884

This black and white photograph by Lemercier & Cie. pictures cups, saucers, and lion sculptures, all part of the collection of Francesco Ribeiro da Cunha of Lisbon. The lack of a specific date makes it hard to say when it was created, but the objects tell us something about European social rituals. Consider the cultural significance of porcelain. Tea and coffee drinking were not merely habits, but social events tightly bound to class and status. The cups and saucers would have been highly prized commodities, as would the lion sculptures, which were possibly displayed in wealthy homes. Photography, like any other medium, can be used to document valuable possessions, or circulate imagery associated with colonial power, wealth, and influence. To understand this image more fully, it's important to research how photographs circulate as documents of collections and collectors. Further research would show how those collections reflect cultural values. Art historians must consider the social context that surrounds an artwork in order to properly interpret its meaning.