Duelling Cavalier c. 1750

Editor: This small porcelain sculpture, "Duelling Cavalier" by Johann Joachim Kändler, feels theatrical. The cavalier's pose seems frozen mid-action. What symbolic significance do you find in this figure? Curator: The figure embodies the values of its time—a fascination with social performance and idealized masculinity. Consider the flamboyant attire; it’s less about practical combat and more about projecting an image. Editor: So, it’s about appearances? Curator: Precisely. The duel becomes a stage for asserting social standing and upholding honour, recurring themes that resonate across history. What emotions does the cavalier's posture evoke in you? Editor: A sense of dramatic tension, I guess. I never thought of duels as performances before. Curator: The performative aspect reveals much about the social anxieties and aspirations of the era. Symbols shape how we perform our own identities even today.