Spoelkom 1777 - 1790

Editor: This is "Spoelkom", a slop bowl from between 1777 and 1790, made by the Porseleinfabriek Den Haag. It looks so delicate! It has this ring of vibrant blue with gold filigree around the rim. Then those charming flowers, a touch rustic. I can imagine this thing sitting on Marie Antoinette’s breakfast table. How would you interpret this? Curator: Ah, yes, this isn't just a pretty bowl; it's a window into a world of courtly rituals! A slop bowl… Such a polite way to say 'I’m done'! It’s intriguing to see the Dutch interpretation. It’s clearly not Delftware; they are channeling something fancier, right? Sèvres in France? But with a slightly earthier touch perhaps? The brushwork isn’t quite as polished, which gives it this wonderfully approachable feel. A playful dance between high style and home comfort, almost a winking at the user: What do *you* think this object is suggesting to us about etiquette and artifice? Editor: I see what you mean, a little rebellion under all that refinement. How does that tension show up in other works from that period? Curator: Well, it's precisely that blend, that negotiation, which is echoed everywhere at the time, if you see what I mean: big wigs but whispered revolutionary ideas at salon gatherings. These pretty objects were often conveying complex unspoken communication. They are really gorgeous examples. Editor: So much more than just a bowl for tea dregs! Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. Just a thought… Perhaps etiquette needed its slop bowl for the same reasons our modern world might. The best beauty, or at least the most profound, always needs a hint of something a bit... off. What’s your sense?