Covered Dish with Attached Stand c. 1775

Here, we have a covered dish with an attached stand, crafted from porcelain by the Frankenthal Manufactory. Dishes like this one reflect 18th-century European society, where the aristocracy used decorative objects to assert their power and social standing. Porcelain became a symbol of luxury and refinement, a response to, and a reflection of an increasingly globalized economy where materials and styles were exchanged on a global scale. Consider how gender roles may have been reflected in its use. Was it primarily for women to serve and partake in refreshments? The delicate floral decorations certainly evoke feminine ideals of beauty and nature. Such an object invites us to reflect on our contemporary relationship to food, class, and identity. Do we still use such refined objects to mark social status, or have our rituals changed? Consider the emotional implications of using or simply observing such a carefully crafted dish.