Vase (one of a pair) 1740 - 1745

Editor: So here we have a pair of vases created around 1740 to 1745 by the Meissen Manufactory. They’re porcelain, so delicate, and are currently residing at The Met. Immediately, I’m drawn to the scenes depicted, so refined and elegant. How do you interpret these vignettes? Curator: Oh, aren’t they divine? It’s like stumbling upon a secret garden party frozen in time! They just don’t make porcelain like this anymore. This period – we’re smack in the middle of the Rococo, naturally – prized detail and asymmetry. Note how each scene, framed like a quatrefoil window, shows an elegant gathering…musicians, ladies, maybe even a scandalous stolen glance or two! Do you notice how the surrounding floral decoration creeps towards each other without being precisely symmetrical? Editor: Yes! The eye dances around; there isn't a static point. What do these scenes tell us about the people they represent? Curator: That’s a delicious question. I fancy it’s not necessarily the reality they lived, but a performance of pastoral bliss. Life was grand and carefree, at least on the surface. Meissen porcelain like this was coveted among European nobility—status symbols that whispered of taste and power, or even a secret yearning for simplicity… though one filled with luxury! I can just picture these gracing some powdered noble's parlor. What’s your take, now that we've delved deeper into these visions? Editor: I initially saw elegance, but now understand there's a constructed narrative, an idealized lifestyle for display, revealing a complex interplay of class, art, and perception. Thank you. Curator: Indeed, it makes one wonder about the stories whispered within those porcelain walls, doesn't it? Perhaps we can begin to explore them...with further looks.