Rethinking mounted porcelain as a plinth for your curiosity

 

This work was made in response to the Chinese porcelain vase below. It was made in the the Kanxi period (1662-1722) and is displayed at the V&A in a French metal mount from about 1750, possibly from the courts of Louis XV. 

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Its label at the V&A states that “Along with nautilus shell, rock crystal and ivory, porcelain was then seen as an exotic material worthy of gold embellishments.” I wanted to understand what "being worthy of gold embellishments" meant  in baroque times and how that label relates to our ideals and values today.

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My research led me from the Merchand-mercier of Paris to Cabinets of Curiosity as precursors to our museums and the rise of science.  I wanted to consider the embellishment not as a decoration of status and ownership.  But as a current framework for seeing. 

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In my response, the porcelain piece became a plinth in itself – you can choose your own curiosity to place on it.

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In contrast to the stylised metal mount, I built a precarious, earthy terracotta structure.