Cupid playing a lyre 18th century

Curator: Oh, what a sweet thing! Like a tiny sugarplum, a musical confection. Is this a Wedgwood? Editor: It is! We're looking at an 18th-century ceramic plaque entitled "Cupid playing a lyre," created by Josiah Wedgwood, and on view here at the Met. The relief depicts, well, exactly what the title says: a cupid with delicate wings, seated and serenading the world with his lyre. Curator: That dreamy blue background makes the cherubic figure pop. It almost feels like looking at a forgotten cameo, unearthed from a Georgian jewel box. Do you feel the sentimentality, that quiet, idealized world? Editor: The intense color Wedgwood used became a trademark. Let's remember, his company catered to the whims of aristocratic taste and a burgeoning middle class eager to emulate their aesthetic. Cupid here is less the impish troublemaker of mythology and more of a docile emblem of affection. Curator: He's rather melancholic looking for a little god of love, don’t you think? Perched on a simple bench with the backdrop of a tender sapling...He looks a little world-weary to me, rather! Perhaps love hasn't been treating him well? Editor: (chuckles) I imagine he represents the palatable face of love suitable for refined drawing rooms. But think about Wedgwood’s market savvy! By evoking classical themes in mass-reproducible form, he democratized the tastes once exclusively reserved for the elite. He was like the Jeff Koons of his time. Curator: Love for the masses. Hmmm. But back to the work...the texture. That matte, almost chalky finish of the ceramic plays with light so beautifully. Editor: Precisely. A canny contrast to all that gloss and gaudiness that might characterize elite tastes elsewhere. But, in the end, despite being molded rather than sculpted, and meant to be accessible, there is still real tenderness and skill in it. The detail of his plump little hands. Curator: A manufactured reverie...Yes. It's easy to write this off as just a piece of decorative art but looking closely reveals that it possesses a peculiar sincerity. Editor: So, there you have it, a Cupid made for drawing rooms and museums. Curator: A lasting little ode to the aspiration to refined sentiments.