Mustard pot with raised blue dots c. 1690 - 1730

Curator: Here we have an earthenware mustard pot, decorated with raised blue dots, dating from around 1690 to 1730. Editor: First thought? It’s like a miniature porcelain planet, some forgotten moon of culinary delight! The repeating dot pattern, the soft blues— it’s weirdly comforting. Curator: This piece, currently held in the Rijksmuseum collection, demonstrates a blend of decorative art with a clear influence from Islamic art. Editor: Oh really? Islamic art? I wouldn’t have picked that up straight away. More, dare I say it, polka-dot-era Hirst. But knowing that… I can see something in the precision of the design; that repetition as a kind of meditative element. Like the cosmic arrangements I suppose! Curator: Indeed. The creation of these wares tells us so much about the developing consumer culture of the period, a period defined by cross cultural exchange in tradeware. Everyday items are also, increasingly, beautiful or novel objects in themselves. This also reveals developing trade relationships with Islamic regions from the middle east or perhaps Spain or North Africa Editor: Trade! You’re so right, I was seeing stars, you're seeing supply chains! It's easy to forget everyday objects carry histories in their making, their buying, their being part of a life. I bet some 18th-century foodie felt properly fancy whipping out their spotty pot. Curator: Precisely. Its charm offers an insight into the values and appetites – literally and metaphorically – of its era, of course always among those privileged enough to have access. And its creation involves craftspeople engaging with complex questions of both aesthetic tradition and market demand. Editor: Which means even something as simple as a pot has multiple, sometimes contradictory layers, you see? Who knew so much could reside inside… a mustard pot! I will never see mustard the same again. Curator: A worthy enlightenment I think; maybe we can extend these perspectives to our next object as well.