Suikerpot 1777 - 1790

Curator: Well, if it isn’t the "Suikerpot," a delightful porcelain sugar bowl crafted between 1777 and 1790 by the Porseleinfabriek Den Haag, now residing here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It’s…charming! It looks like it was pulled straight from a fairy tale or maybe a very fancy dollhouse. The painted floral details have a certain soft glow that's just so gentle. Curator: Indeed! Notice the delicate Rococo style – the swirling, asymmetrical ornamentation is designed to evoke a sense of lightness and movement. Consider how sugar, and thus these sugar bowls, had just emerged from rarity, associated with power and wealth. Now its symbolism moves more toward domestic intimacy, everyday elegance. Editor: And those flowers! The artist managed to catch these almost dreamlike shades; they could illustrate a botanical encyclopedia of imaginary plants! You can tell that in this period they started letting beauty define the plant more than science. It makes me want to sketch, paint with watercolors on some sun-drenched terrace…you know, channel that aristocratic leisure! Curator: These are transferrable emotional connections. The very particular visual vocabulary connects the vessel not only with social status but also ideas of ephemerality: the quick, pleasing fragrance of the flower as well as the fleeting moment of perfect ripeness with a sugared fruit. Editor: Right? And it really works. I look at that cobalt band near the lid, these dabs of gold…it isn’t just a sugar bowl, is it? It is an object made to uplift everyday moments! You want to open this up and savor the small rituals in life. The designer really poured soul into their work. Curator: Absolutely, the symbolism here resonates still. I'm especially intrigued by the knob on the lid. It’s more restrained than some other rococo styles. Editor: In the end, what amazes me most is the quiet, unassuming sort of joy the artist put inside this piece. Something so delicate feels quite subversive; it makes you question where true values are… in a world drowning in industrial sameness, things that hold personal meaning become precious. Curator: I quite agree! There's a real magic in uncovering these historical narratives embedded within everyday objects. It connects our contemporary values to what those before us experienced. Editor: Definitely makes you want to think twice about the kind of sugar bowls we'll leave for future generations!