Footed salver 1662 - 1663

Curator: The Minneapolis Institute of Art holds this stunning footed salver, crafted between 1662 and 1663. The material is silver, worked with a deep relief. Editor: The overall impression is celebratory. There’s a vibrancy to the ornamentation that speaks of prosperity and abundance. I notice squirrels, a bird, flowers all very carefully rendered. It feels alive! Curator: It is Baroque in style, reflecting a taste for opulence and intricate detailing prevalent at the time. Pieces like this signaled wealth and status. Display was very important in creating societal order. Editor: The animals draw me in. The squirrel especially. In some cultures, squirrels represent prudence and preparedness, but then there's the bird above it, potentially symbolizing the soul's ascent to heaven or simply the arrival of good news. It is like a snapshot of symbolic motifs popular during that period. Curator: These images of squirrels, birds and lush botanical elements were common in Baroque art. In many Northern European contexts, they can be tied to secular associations of the burgeoning merchant classes and also emerging natural sciences. These designs were shared amongst craftspeople across regions. The motifs were applied to decorative arts meant to show worldly and spiritual aspirations. Editor: There is something primal in our enduring connection to these symbols—even removed from their 17th-century context. We intuitively grasp them; and it highlights art's power to transmit meaning across time. The artist has essentially given enduring life to this representation of cultural symbolism. Curator: Indeed. Its original owner would probably expect the salver to demonstrate their learned tastes and status. We also cannot deny the way institutions preserve these objects of power that often speak of exclusivity and, well, elite life. Editor: Looking at the Footed salver, it underscores just how deeply ingrained we are with using symbols to both express our humanity and the world around us. It has such evocative depth. Curator: It provides a material reminder that objects not only represent an economic marker of prestige but reveal larger historical relationships across artistic creation.