Antiques Hunter

(Trade me, 2012)

This dish resembles the Rococo design style of the 18th century. It reflects the "feminine look"(Naturalistic Spoon, 2009) that influenced the Rococo style. This being the curved outer structure which curves reflect that of the female figure, it also uses feminine colours such as pink and white, which are used in a lot of Rococo design. In addition the ornamental roses are related with femininity and intimacy, just as the Rococo style is.

Rococo design also incorporated chinoiserie. This is shown in this dish as it is made from porcelain which is a Chinese material that began being imported and used in European design in the 17th century.

Fig 1: (Naturalistic Spoon, 2009)

Another Rococo design feature this dish has is protruding ornament. This feature was common to Rococo design as often ornament was applied which protruded the object. This is shown in Fig 1 as the applied silver decoration is not two dimensional creating textured decoration which protrudes the the main object structure. This feature made Rococo design irrational, and un-practical to use due to the irregular structures created. The dish reflects this as it has a porcelain rose attached to the rim,  taking away practical value as a dish and giving it more decorative value.

This bowl would have been designed for the higher class as it is exuberant and prestigious as Rococo design is. Rococo was established in a time of "internal peace and growing prosperity" (Hunter-Stiebel, Lupton, Davidson, Coffin, 2008) and this is reflected by its 'over-the-top' appearance. Again this bowl reflects this as it is covered with exuberant details such as the painted gold lines, the curvy shape etc. Thus this bowl is designed for the higher class as it is an example of 18th century Rococo design.

Bibliography:

Trade Me. (2012). Fancy German china flower dish. Retrieved from http://www.trademe.co.nz/antiques-collectables/ornaments-figurines/other/auction-466463961.htm

Naturalistic Spoon. (2009). Rococo Style. Retrieved from http://naturalisticspoon.com/Rococo_Style.html

Hunter-Stiebel, P., Lupton, E., Davidson, G. S., Coffin, S. D. (2008). Rococo: The Continuing Curve, 1730-2008. New York, NY: Editions Assouline.

Adrienne Chinn. (2012). Rococo Style. Retrieved from
http://www.adriennechinn.co.uk/interior-design-styles/rococo.htm

AskDefine. (2012). Chinoiserie. Retrieved from
http://chinoiserie.askdefine.com/