Two-Handled Dish 1902 - 1907

Editor: Here we have "Two-Handled Dish," a silver vessel created sometime between 1902 and 1907 by Shreve, Crump & Low Department Store's Arts and Crafts Shop. It looks so delicate. With the long, looping handles and tiny gemstones. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: Well, first off, it’s not just a dish, is it? It’s a *statement* piece. Think of the Arts and Crafts movement rebelling against industrial mass production! Each hammer mark a little “up yours” to the factory. It wants to bring beauty and utility back to everyday objects and the average home. Now, the form feels classical but then we see these lovely streamlined handles, and those cabochons. What do you make of that juxtaposition? Editor: It feels… conflicting, but also like it blends really well? The simple form, plus decorative touches? Is that typical for the Arts and Crafts style? Curator: Exactly! Think simple form combined with an artistic execution – that's very characteristic. You've got the honest, visible construction, a clear embrace of the materials. And, there's a subtle elegance—notice those stones flanking the bowl? Little sparks of luxury. And don't forget the engraved monogram, this tells of the individuality of the design. Do you suppose someone had this commissioned as a special gift? Editor: Definitely seems that way. There's an intimacy in its scale, but it feels... grander, almost monumental. Curator: Precisely! It's striving to be useful *and* art, democratizing design. Beauty for all, not just the elites, but executed in such a way to elevate and transform the quotidian into something worthy of celebration! It shows you don't need excess, or grandiosity to reach art; only honesty. Editor: So much intention went into creating something so "simple." I will never look at a silver dish the same way again. Curator: Yes, that's the beauty of studying objects: they hold universes if you only know where to look.