Merchant 1760 - 1770

Editor: This porcelain sculpture, called "Merchant," was made by the Frankenthal Porcelain Manufactory between 1760 and 1770. It depicts a man seated at a desk, seemingly engrossed in his work. It has such a performative, almost theatrical, quality to it. What stands out to you? Curator: The performative aspect is key. Think about the context: luxury goods in the Rococo era weren't just about aesthetics, they were potent signifiers of social and economic power. This "Merchant" isn’t just a neutral depiction of commerce; it's a statement about the merchant class ascending in society. It's practically propaganda, isn’t it? Look at the detailed clothing and the ornate desk, even the scattered books which would be meant to convey sophistication. How does that opulence speak to you, knowing it's made of porcelain, a highly desirable commodity at the time? Editor: Well, knowing that it's porcelain gives it a slightly critical edge, I think. Like, is it celebrating wealth or just performing it, kind of superficially? Curator: Exactly! Porcelain itself was symbolic of global trade networks and colonial exploitation, meaning that the very material this sculpture is made from tells its own complicated story. Editor: So, on one hand, it idealizes this figure of the merchant, but it's also wrapped up in complex power dynamics. Curator: Precisely. It forces us to question whose stories are being told and at what cost. Think about who could afford to possess such an object and what it says about them. Editor: This really shifts my understanding; I initially saw it as a quaint genre scene, but now I see it engages with 18th-century economic and social debates. Curator: That tension is what makes it so compelling, don’t you think? We're left to grapple with how commerce and social mobility were intertwined with, and built upon, systemic inequalities.