Cup plate 1830 - 1835

Curator: This lovely little object is a cup plate, dating from between 1830 and 1835. These were popular in the 19th century for holding teacups, to avoid drips onto the furniture, when drinking tea or coffee from a saucer. The artistry is by an anonymous maker. Editor: It has a fascinating crystalline quality. The scalloped edge gives it a playful almost lace-like, frame. There is something very inviting in the geometric circular patterns. Curator: Indeed. Think about the democratization of glassmaking at this time. The Industrial Revolution and new pressing techniques made pieces like this accessible to a broader segment of the population. This wasn't precious, bespoke glassware; this was part of a changing landscape in home economics. Editor: Right, it allowed for a play with light and form that hadn't been previously available, at least not so widely. The interplay of geometric squares along the rim contrasted against the circular form at the heart. Curator: It reflects a shift in social norms too, doesn't it? Etiquette manuals proliferated, teaching middle-class families how to participate in these newly formalized tea-drinking rituals. The plate represents a movement of upward social mobility. Editor: The glass itself appears almost alive. What the translucency of the glass provides in this example, you can find in architecture too, the way natural illumination transforms static forms into an animated subject of art. Curator: I’m drawn to how these decorative pieces allow us to investigate a tangible artifact, as well as the domestic life it participated in and the changing material culture of the early 19th century. Editor: And for me, the pure, geometric structure allows me to find elegance. Something enduring regardless of social trends, or their historical consequences.