Dish 1870 - 1890

Editor: We’re looking at a "Dish", probably dating from the late 19th century, created by Challinor, Taylor and Company. It seems to be made from ceramic or earthenware. The marbling effect is really interesting, it gives it this almost dreamy quality. What strikes you most when you look at it? Curator: Oh, it’s enchanting, isn’t it? It makes me think of swirling nebulae caught in something so commonplace, and elevated. I'm drawn to its peculiar combination of opulence and utility. These dishes were produced in the age of burgeoning industry, an era dreaming of making beauty available to everyone, to turn the mundane remarkable. I almost feel I could lose myself staring into the heart of that earthenware. Tell me, does the form itself – the dish-ness of it all – speak to you in any particular way? Editor: I guess it’s surprising to see something so…functional…treated with so much artistry. You expect that kind of detail in a painting, maybe not so much in a dish. It challenges my expectations of what decorative art should be, I suppose. Curator: Precisely! It's like a wink from the past, reminding us that beauty can bloom in the most unexpected corners of our lives. It is so refreshing. Imagine this holding fruit or little cakes...or a pile of keys. Suddenly everything is magic. Editor: Yeah, I never really thought of it that way, that decorative arts could be, well, radical! Thanks for the insight! Curator: My pleasure. It makes me want to make something useful but also filled with dreams. I must try that!