Drie kleine applicaties van email c. 1300 - 1350

Editor: These are "Drie kleine applicaties van email", or "Three Small Enamel Appliqués," dating back to around 1300-1350. They're anonymous, made with enamel, and quite small. I'm really struck by the texture, the roughness of the enamel. What strikes you about them? Curator: It's the application of enamel, the way the colors interact and define the objects' forms that interests me most. Look at the contrasting opaque red dots that disrupt and offset the predominantly green enamel that fills each shape. Notice too how the material, despite its age and small size, presents a compelling study of surface and finish. Consider their seriality; what might the subtle variations across the three shapes communicate? Editor: Seriality, like they are trying to say something collectively? Is that about their formal relationship? Curator: Precisely. Their forms may have been produced with slightly different application techniques, which affect the final composition, texture, color saturation, or pattern. What sort of story do those relationships create when we consider these not as individual pieces, but instead as components of a collective grouping? Editor: So it's less about what they depict and more about how they are constructed and placed in relation to each other. The differences between the flower and the circles, then, gain significance. One interrupts the others, or perhaps provides a framework? I appreciate noticing the tension between repetition and variety. Curator: Yes, focusing on the compositional qualities draws us toward a potentially fresh viewpoint on the Medieval object and its use, whether decorative or symbolic. Ultimately, considering visual dynamics enriches the viewer’s experience beyond the initial descriptive summary. Editor: That gives me a fresh appreciation for approaching art through the materiality. Thanks.