Kom met gemarmerd decor c. 1925 - 1930

Curator: This is a lovely piece, isn't it? What catches your eye first? Editor: Honestly, it reminds me of seafoam, like something that washed ashore after a storm. The color and that marbled effect… very calming, even a bit melancholy. Curator: Yes, there's definitely a sense of serenity to it. This bowl, known as "Kom met gemarmerd decor," or Bowl with Marbled Decor, was created by N.V. Plateelbakkerij Ram around 1925-1930. It's made of earthenware, using ceramic techniques to mimic the look of marble. Editor: Marble! Of course. But the craft… to create the illusion so convincingly out of such humble materials. It speaks to a very particular cultural moment, doesn't it? Art Deco trying to democratize luxury. Making it accessible. Curator: Precisely. Art Deco aimed to bring beauty into everyday life. Imagine this bowl gracing a mantelpiece or holding fruit in a fashionable home of the era. It also hints at a time when mass production and handcrafted aesthetics started to blend and inform each other. Editor: It makes me wonder about the workers crafting these bowls. Were they proud of creating something so visually striking, even if it was “just” a decorative object? Or were they just churning them out, focused on quotas? I'm always drawn to the labor and lived experience inherent in the object. Curator: It’s a thought-provoking point, reminding us that beauty often has unseen hands behind it. The marbling technique itself, I imagine, demanded a certain skill and care to achieve consistently across multiple pieces, balancing mechanical methods with unique artistry. Editor: And thinking of its contemporary value—it is also a commodity destined for consumption, revealing social codes, status aspirations. Still a carrier for fantasies. Curator: Perhaps that is what contributes to its sustained appeal—its embodiment of material resourcefulness meets imaginative expression! A perfect example of everyday art. Editor: A lovely contemplation—food for thought on the subtle revolutions found within the frame of a bowl!