Ink stand with Greyhounds' Heads c. 1830

Curator: Immediately, it strikes me as a rather extravagant and ornate object. Editor: Indeed! This is an inkstand with greyhounds' heads, crafted by Obadiah Rich, who lived from 1809 to 1888. It currently resides at the Harvard Art Museums. Curator: And just look at the detail. The greyhounds, the foliage, all in silver. The labor involved in creating such a functional yet decorative piece must have been substantial. What does it tell us about status and consumption at the time? Editor: The very existence of such an object points to the rise of a leisure class with the means to commission luxury items and the social spaces in which to display them. This piece, small as it is, speaks volumes about 19th-century social dynamics. Curator: A fascinating interplay of function, labor, and social meaning, indeed. Editor: Absolutely. A little object, but it certainly gives us much to consider.