Cruet Stand 1727 - 1728

Curator: What a curious thing—this Cruet Stand, author unknown, in the collections of Harvard Art Museums. It’s so shiny and symmetrical. Editor: It does have a somewhat clinical gleam about it, doesn't it? The repetitive geometry, the polished silver... it feels almost unsettlingly precise. Curator: Precision, yes, but also purpose. Think of it holding all the condiments, the little vials of flavor. Ribouleau focused on the function of dining in style. Editor: Style requiring significant silver resources, I imagine, and skilled hands to form those matching octagons. A statement of refined consumption, wouldn't you say? Curator: Perhaps. Or perhaps it's an invitation—a shimmering suggestion to slow down and savor, to find beauty in the everyday rituals. Editor: I see it as labor and material, melted down and molded into an object. Curator: Well, I find a quiet elegance in its form, an echo of intention. Editor: And I see a bygone era, glittering with privilege. Curator: And that’s how art speaks to us all, isn't it?