Miniature fender (part of a set) 1685 - 1715

Curator: So, we’re looking at a piece called "Miniature fender (part of a set)," crafted sometime between 1685 and 1715. Editor: It feels like a prop from a Wes Anderson film… tiny, metallic, and unexpectedly melancholic. There's something about its aged silver patina that evokes forgotten grandeur. Curator: Absolutely! The use of silver is key. Notice how its inherent reflectivity and malleability shape both form and our perception of value here. What could have been the functionality implied by this object? Editor: Given its scale, functionality in the conventional sense seems secondary. Instead, it invites contemplation on proportion, luxury, maybe even power dynamics reduced to a domestic setting. Curator: Precisely. This Baroque piece would have served to adorn a fireplace, part of a larger, more ostentatious display, intended to reflect and magnify the household’s prosperity and aesthetic taste. The sculptor’s method for this baroque style conveys a playfulness within luxury, don't you agree? Editor: There’s a fascinating tension between the heavy materiality—metal and specifically, silver—and its miniature size. Almost like a child's idea of being rich! It hints at how desire itself is performative, reduced down into display and preciousness. Curator: Also, the decision to leave the material slightly unpolished suggests a turn towards a less overt presentation, a certain modesty within excessive material, or perhaps a focus on enduring value of the form itself, almost a metaphor for civilization? Editor: The scale really hits you with this reflection on civility! In the details we imagine power, we observe elegance, and also fragility of desire within everyday forms. Curator: Its quiet power draws me in for hours of imaginative stories. Editor: True, this small shiny barrier offers the imagination an endless starting point for speculation!