This delicate jar with cover was made in Chantilly from soft-paste porcelain. Porcelain is a challenging material. It doesn’t just want to assume the shape you have in mind; it requires coaxing. Looking closely, you can see the extraordinary level of skill that was demanded of the maker. The body of the jar is pristine, and all the more remarkable are the applied sprigs of leaves, buds and blossoms. These were separately formed, then luted onto the surface, and finally fired to perfection. You might ask, why go to all this trouble? The answer is that luxury goods like this one were deeply embedded in systems of labor and commerce. The ruling classes needed objects like this to perform their status. This wasn't just a jar; it was a testament to the patron’s wealth, and the skill of the artisans who served them. Appreciating the labor involved helps us understand the social world in which it was made.