Cup 1715 - 1725

Curator: Here we have a piece titled "Cup," crafted sometime between 1715 and 1725. It resides here at The Met, and it is rendered in silver. Editor: It's remarkably simple at first glance. The monochrome quality of the silver lends it a muted tone, yet the reflections hint at a more dynamic surface. It has an unassuming presence. Curator: Considering the era, its simplicity may mask a potent statement about social structures. Silver pieces were often markers of status and wealth. Its unadorned nature, as opposed to the more elaborate baroque pieces often commissioned, perhaps speaks to the emergence of a more restrained aesthetic tied to emerging notions of class. What narrative of power do you perceive here? Editor: The linearity catches my eye—the precision of the form. The handle presents a satisfying curve and counter-curve, echoed subtly by the lip and the base. The material also feels cool and collected, despite the Baroque period. The lack of ornamentation highlights these design principles. It is a simple shape executed beautifully, and one appreciates its overall cohesiveness. Curator: Interesting perspective! However, to not engage with how this relates to who had access to such material, to the labour perhaps extracted through colonial mechanisms... Doesn't that negate broader power dynamics? This would not have been within reach of the working class, after all. Editor: But doesn't focusing solely on its sociopolitical meaning potentially blind us to its elegance? It speaks volumes just by its own material presence, a language in and of itself. And consider the creator. We risk losing his/her intentions. The silversmith would have had a refined, keen sensibility. Curator: The elegance you speak of becomes problematic when it exists as a byproduct of inequality, wouldn't you say? Editor: Maybe... and yet, I come away with a renewed understanding of craftsmanship—one that is undeniably luxurious yet still grounded in elemental, artistic forms. Curator: And I think I'm taking with me an intensified curiosity around who this object empowered and silenced at the time of its making.