Vase (one of a pair) 1760 - 1775

Curator: Before us is a vase, actually one of a pair, crafted at the Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory between 1760 and 1775. The material is porcelain. Editor: Wow, talk about opulent. That deep cobalt blue contrasted with the gold… it’s almost aggressively decorative, isn't it? I feel like I need to be wearing velvet to even look at it properly. Curator: The Rococo style is definitely in full effect. Note the undulating curves, the asymmetry. The palette itself operates as a crucial semiotic mechanism. The blue functions to ground the sculptural image; it serves almost as a stage. Editor: Right, the oval cartouche featuring those birds…pheasants, maybe? It feels very theatrical, like a miniature stage set. But the whole thing has this restrained quality to it, you know? Very posed, like everyone is trying a little too hard. Does that come across to you at all? Curator: Rococo aesthetics privileged artifice. Consider how the gold leaf adheres to the porcelain, creating contrast and emphasizing line. It underscores the manufactured nature of the object, its divergence from the ‘natural’. The decorative schema supersedes functionality. Editor: And those handles, too! Look like coiled, stylized leaves. Everything flows. If I didn't know better, I’d guess it was made for Marie Antoinette. The details are interesting and really are skillfully crafted. Even so, does that sense of stifled extravagance connect to the turbulent times in which it was produced? Curator: That's a fascinating interpretation. The vase definitely manifests the ornamental profusion that defined the period. Perhaps that extravagance represents both escapism, or simply… luxury consumption within aristocratic circles. Editor: Or even anxiety turned into… porcelain. It's interesting how a thing like this, so meticulously created, can be so evocative of an era teetering on the brink of seismic social change. Curator: It’s certainly a testament to the complex interplay of material, technique, and historical context that the Chelsea factory achieved during the late Rococo. Editor: Well, it definitely brings some vibrancy to the Met’s galleries! Glad to learn more today.