Orientals 1778 - 1788

Editor: Here we have "Orientals," a porcelain sculpture created by the Royal Porcelain Manufactory between 1778 and 1788. It’s currently housed here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s really quite delicate. I’m curious about what you see in this piece. Curator: Well, from a materialist perspective, I’m drawn to consider the global trade networks that made such porcelain figurines possible in the late 18th century. Porcelain itself was a highly prized commodity, and its production involved intense labor and specialized knowledge. Editor: That's fascinating! I hadn’t really considered the production process beyond just thinking, "Oh, it's porcelain." So, how does the act of creation influence your reading? Curator: It transforms it! Look at the figures' costumes and pose; they reference an "Orient" filtered through a European lens, a construction shaped by colonial trade and power dynamics. These figurines become physical manifestations of cultural exchange, and often exploitation. How was this idealized vision manufactured, by whom, and for whom? Editor: So, you’re saying that this wasn't just about aesthetics; it's about how economic and social relationships literally molded the piece. Is that a fair assessment? Curator: Exactly! And consider the Rococo style; its flamboyance often masked the gritty realities of production. Examining the labor involved, from the extraction of raw materials to the artist's skill, gives us a much fuller understanding of the piece's meaning. Editor: This changes my understanding. I initially saw an example of decorative art, but it’s actually more like a three-dimensional document reflecting complex networks. Curator: Precisely. Seeing the sculpture as a product of those systems makes it far more interesting, don’t you agree? It forces us to question what we consume and its origin.