Sauce Dish 1870 - 1890

Curator: It's funny how a humble object like this sauce dish can be so mesmerizing. What catches your eye about it at first glance? Editor: Well, I'm immediately struck by the color, it is dreamy and surreal. A swirl of amethyst and pearl, like condensed twilight. It evokes memories of old candy dishes at my grandmother's. Curator: Beautiful. The "Sauce Dish", believed to be created between 1870 and 1890 by Challinor, Taylor and Company in the United States. It’s glass of course, but the way they layered the colors, doesn't it make it feel almost… alive? Editor: Absolutely! It reminds me of ancient Roman glass, where the color holds so much symbolic power. Purple historically symbolizes royalty, wisdom, and transformation. But with that milky translucence, it’s almost a whisper of grandeur. Curator: I love that, "a whisper of grandeur". You know, looking closer, the scalloped edge also echoes the form of a flower in bloom. Perhaps speaking to notions of abundance. Editor: Flowers represent ephemerality and beauty. And for me, the sauce dish as a container transforms, it signifies holding, offering, community. Curator: Almost as if inviting participation? It definitely captures the optimism of that era, the decorative arts being all about making everyday life beautiful. I find that especially poignant. Editor: It also showcases American ingenuity during that time period. To be able to bring luxury into middle-class homes through industrial techniques, amazing. Curator: It does make you wonder about the lives of the families who might have gathered around a table, passing this dish filled with, well, sauce. A simple pleasure elevated to art. Editor: And I guess, that's the heart of decorative arts. Curator: A beautiful relic. Thank you! Editor: Pleasure!