Nouveau Livre de Vases 1716

Curator: Here we have a print titled "Nouveau Livre de Vases" by Jean Bernard Toro, dating back to 1716. It’s currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Oh, my! Look at that thing. It’s absolutely dripping with Baroque drama. I can almost hear the trumpets blaring and smell the beeswax candles. Imagine actually drinking something from that vessel. Curator: Exactly! It's more about the performance of power, right? The design is likely intended as a guide or source for artisans. It reflects the elaborate taste of the period and the political climate, signaling wealth and authority through intricate ornamentation. Editor: Totally impractical and utterly fabulous! Those little sphinxes lounging on the top feel like they're judging my life choices, or perhaps offering obscure riddles about the universe. But, I feel there’s something deeply human in it all too – even a tad humourous. Curator: It’s interesting you say that, because design manuals and pattern books like these actually had a wide reach beyond aristocratic circles. While rooted in elite aesthetics, they inevitably influenced middle-class tastes and artistic production as well, in complex ways. The emphasis on decoration speaks volumes, reflecting not just aesthetic values, but social and economic ones, too. Editor: Makes me think of how so many things – the internet, social media, pop music – get recontextualised when ordinary humans lay their hands on them. I can already see some Instagram influencer putting an avocado in the place where this vase should be! But, overall it truly takes my mind off everyday banality. Curator: Indeed! The Baroque aesthetic was often used as a tool of propaganda by the Church and monarchies. We need to constantly analyze and explore how these images might reify power dynamics – ones that continue to inform contemporary design practices. Editor: Alright, alright! Maybe there is more going on than meets the eye here. However, let’s celebrate, shall we, how something so grandiose on paper is at the same time such a delicious and irreverent provocation.