Plaque met een voorstelling in geschilderde emails: figuren in een paviljoen 1770 - 1775

Curator: Here we have a Qing Dynasty plaque made between 1770 and 1775. It’s titled "Plaque with a Performance in Painted Enamels: Figures in a Pavilion" and held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It has a remarkably serene and composed feeling. The miniature figures placed against this intricate architectural setting create such a calm, structured space. Curator: Absolutely. What's particularly interesting is the use of enamel on metal as the primary medium. It offered artists an incredible range of color and durability but demanded painstaking layering and firing processes. Each hue speaks to different compositions and materials added to the enamel itself and shows an intimate and detailed process of material creation, almost like painting with ground glass. Editor: I’m struck by the enclosed yet permeable space: the father sits under a sort of awning, divided from an outer court by lattices through which people and even small dogs wander, blurring interior and exterior life. Even the hanging lantern hints at liminal space and multiple symbolic meanings in one image. Curator: Right, and think of how many hands this passed through; the miner, the enamel worker, the artist of the scene; its creation involved an extensive web of laborers and specialized knowledge, from those acquiring raw materials to those putting finishing touches to the lacquer frame. Editor: Those choices highlight the themes of domesticity and social hierarchy that are evident here, don't they? I see the man, presumably the master, being served, with his wife and son standing in attendance; he is distinguished, set apart from the bustle surrounding him. Even the choice of vivid yellow on the server underscores her status. The dogs on the periphery add levity. Curator: We’re observing here a world carefully built through the division of labor; these figures within the frame highlight a much larger web of craftspeople who brought the world represented in the plaque, to life. Editor: This makes me rethink how to consider interior and exterior—both literally and socially. I love that it encapsulates a moment in time but uses symbols that have evolved and persisted through art history. Curator: For me, thinking through the actual making helps open up avenues to deeper understanding—allowing the symbolic and cultural layers to shine more richly.