Couple with Child 1755 - 1775

Curator: This intricate porcelain sculpture, titled "Couple with Child," was crafted sometime between 1755 and 1775 by the Real Fábrica del Buen Retiro. Editor: It’s remarkably detailed for its size. I'm struck by how the light reflects off the glazed surfaces; it gives them a almost life-like quality. The Rococo sensibility is immediately apparent. Curator: Absolutely, it epitomizes the Rococo period’s fondness for detailed, smaller-scale, decorative art. The Real Fábrica del Buen Retiro, a royal factory, primarily served the Spanish court and aristocracy. Objects like these served more of a decorative rather than practical purpose. Editor: Precisely, and it prompts reflection on the material conditions of its making. Who were the artisans who meticulously molded and painted this porcelain? Were they considered artists or merely laborers in the royal employ? This level of detail required tremendous skill, labor, and, of course, access to the raw materials. Curator: It invites us to consider the dynamics of the society that produced and consumed such art. Pieces like this also had an inherent political value: these genre scenes offer idealized views of pastoral life and serve to bolster social cohesion under royal patronage. Editor: You can see it too in the composition. A very clean triangular setup draws your eyes to the three figures and connects the visual language from the glaze, to the clothing and position of each figure, reinforcing family and childhood sentiment. But also to wonder, what did these idealized depictions really mean to those outside aristocratic circles? Were they aspirational? Or purely escapist fantasies? Curator: Perhaps a blend of both, really! We shouldn’t disregard its intended functionality in promoting a stable social narrative, and considering its current placement at the Met, the piece and this particular reading around social class has continued resonating into contemporary times. Editor: Agreed. The more I examine this sculpture, the more it prompts me to think about how porcelain, a relatively fragile material, could encapsulate such robust political and economic narratives of the time. It makes it more fascinating.