Parrot (one of a pair) 1735 - 1745

Editor: Here we have a whimsical pair: "Parrot (one of a pair)" crafted sometime between 1735 and 1745 by the Meissen Manufactory, rendered in delicate ceramic, specifically porcelain. Aren't they just the picture of Rococo charm? It's hard to believe these were made so long ago, and the coloring is so delightful, how was porcelain perceived when they were made? Curator: Ah, these delightful birds! During the Rococo period, porcelain wasn't just ceramic; it was almost alchemy. To possess such refined objects was to flaunt your access to the exotic and, frankly, to wealth itself. Porcelain traveled to Europe like whispered secrets, these birds are speaking volumes of that journey, don't you think? Editor: I do! There's a preciousness to them, for sure, as these parrots appear both familiar and otherworldly all at once. Looking closely at the individual scale-like patterns that are etched across each of their feathers, these remind me of the individual choices we make as artists. Curator: Yes, a keen eye! And in these small choices there can be a lot of artistic risk. These little feathered friends aren't trying to be Audubon-precise. It is that imaginative freedom that marks them as distinctly Rococo. How do you feel the birds would have been shown at the time, in a set or as stand alone models? Editor: Interesting, they could function as symbols. How exciting to own such beautiful models! Perhaps they'd sit upon a mantle. To hold such beautiful models in the palms, surely one would learn and see art a little differently afterward. It's really an insight into art patronage. Curator: Absolutely, a spark of curiosity, a portal to art... Now, that's the legacy I like to imagine these porcelain parrots leaving.