Tankard 17th century

Editor: This is a 17th-century tankard crafted from silver, currently residing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its surface is covered in a diamond pattern. What strikes me most is how tactile the metal appears, almost like an armored fruit. How do you interpret this work purely from its visual and material properties? Curator: Its creator, Jeremias II Flicker, presents us with a study in texture and form. Notice how the repetitive diamond facets create a dynamic interplay of light and shadow. Each tiny plane catches the light differently, animating the surface and denying the object any static quality. It almost vibrates. Editor: That’s a lovely observation. And it is primarily a celebration of geometric form, would you agree? Curator: Indeed. The cylindrical body, topped with a slightly domed lid also adorned with the diamond motif, reveals an artist deeply invested in structure. Observe the handle’s elegant curve – a purely functional element elevated to an aesthetic grace note, playing against the rigorous geometry elsewhere. Editor: Do you think that the choice of silver enhances this effect in some way? Curator: Certainly. Silver’s inherent reflectivity amplifies the visual activity, enhancing the gradations between light and shadow, emphasizing the three-dimensionality of each small pyramidal form. How do you respond to the way this play with form, texture and surface is articulated? Editor: I find it beautiful in its simplicity. The artist transforms a functional object into a sculptural object, solely through surface articulation and form. I never thought of it as dynamic before, but you are right. The repetitive pattern is never boring, it almost generates its own energy. Curator: Precisely. Flicker demonstrates how an object's intrinsic formal qualities can imbue it with surprising expressive power. The artist is in control of our sight.