Oil or vinegar cruet 1732 - 1742

Editor: So, this oil or vinegar cruet, made of porcelain by Meissen Manufactory around 1732-1742, depicts a figure riding a fantastic rooster. It’s so ornate, almost cartoonish. What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: The conspicuous consumption inherent in a porcelain cruet speaks volumes. The Rococo style celebrated luxury, and porcelain, a costly import, elevated even the mundane act of flavoring food into a performance of wealth and taste. Notice how the labor involved in mining, shaping, firing, and painting such a delicate object is almost flaunted. Editor: That's interesting, I hadn't thought about it as 'flaunting' labor. Curator: Absolutely. Each brushstroke, each detail of the molded figures represents time and skill. Consider the social context: who commissioned this? Who used it? Porcelain production at Meissen was deeply entangled with courtly patronage and mercantilist policies. It’s not just decoration; it's a display of power disguised as delicacy. What do you think about its function, in relation to its appearance? Editor: I guess the extreme decoration clashes with its everyday use. Like, the form fights the function a little? Curator: Precisely. It begs the question: is this primarily an object for daily use, or a sculptural object meant for display that performs its status, primarily? The answer likely lies somewhere in the middle. This tension between utility and spectacle reveals a great deal about the values of the time. Editor: That’s really changed my perspective. It’s more than just a pretty bottle. Curator: Exactly! It encapsulates entire networks of production, consumption, and social aspiration within a single, seemingly simple, object. Thinking about art from the perspective of its material conditions opens up entirely new avenues of understanding.