Basket 1770 - 1776

Editor: This is a stunning silver basket, dating back to 1770-1776, crafted by Myer Myers. It has such delicate detailing, but also feels quite extravagant. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: This piece offers a fascinating glimpse into the material culture of the late 18th century. Look at the intricate latticework; the labor involved in its creation must have been significant. Consider, too, that silver wasn't merely a decorative element, but a valuable commodity that represented a considerable concentration of wealth and power in society. Editor: So, the very material signifies the owner's status? Curator: Exactly. And not just the material, but also the construction. Each of those small design elements involves intense manual labor. The design itself has a rococo flourish, wouldn't you agree? Someone who possessed this was part of a consumer culture prioritizing not just utility but ornamental display. We can imagine how the raw silver material may have arrived from mines possibly powered by forced labor, transformed into a basket intended to hold fruit on the tables of elites. How might an object like this simultaneously participate in beauty and perhaps obscure injustice? Editor: I hadn't thought of that connection—it complicates the piece, and makes you consider the costs of even the most beautiful things. Curator: Right, and its existence challenges us to examine how luxury objects can be so alluring on their surface while obscuring unequal systems. Thinking about consumption in the Rococo Era—does that modify how we perceive craft or what we now deem ‘high art’? Editor: Absolutely. Seeing it this way really illuminates the complex story embedded within its materiality, beyond just its aesthetic appeal. Thanks for your insight. Curator: And thank you for the questions. They illuminate just how we read material culture!