The next gallery after the armor and weapons one was a very diverse gallery. This particular gallery was filled with a lot of furnitures. It also had some other house accessories that was part of the gallery as well. However, there was no unifying theme other than having furnitures around. Confounding the situation was a particular piece of pottery I was not expecting to see at all. I saw this:
At first blush, the color scheme of this porcelain lacquerware astounded me. The style of this porcelain is undoubtedly Chinese in origin. However, knowing that I was in the European section meant that there is something European about this vase. After close inspection, it was clear that rather than scenes from ancient China, the vase depicts what I think to be the European intervention in South Asia, with what appears to be elephants on the right hand side of this side view. Because South Asia doesn't produce porcelain, this vase may be an European attempt at producing this form of porcelain. Or, it could be a Chinese creation of a foreign event imported to Europe. Regardless, this vase remains consistent with the increasing European interest in Asian goods. Also, this vase was likely part of the furniture setup in a European home, as these do not serve a functional purpose.
Crystal and glass wares have bit of a reputation as a contradictory medium in art. On one hand, the natural transparency of crystal and glass gives the medium its inherent beauty. However, on the other hand, the difficulty of painting onto the medium meant it was not a very effective medium for colorful artistic expression. Even still, the glassmakers who crafted these glass cups show great skill with their precision and handiwork in a period where glass had to be heated and blown by hand. If anything, the proficient in glass marked a marked department form the lack of mirrors in the medieval age. While these exact shapes are rarely used today, we gain insight into the aesthetic sense of these European artistic pioneers when we observe even simple objects like glass or crystalware.
This is a very elaborate piece of furniture designed to hold small valuable items like jewelry. The black on ivory color scheme works very well together. But I think the most impressive is simply how detailed and complex this drawer was. There were a lot of extraneous elements, but they all contributed to the overall character of this drawer. If anything else, this piece of furniture demonstrates the new emphasis on interior aesthetics. I think it is at this point when interior design begins to carve it's own identity separate from the exterior facade. As furnitures get more elaborate, there are increasing freedom to shape a room in any manner without regards for exterior aesthetics. Take the ancient Romans for example, even the interiors have disproportionate amounts of white to remain consents with the white exteriors. However, these furniture diversify the internal looks and served as stepping stones to masterpieces Versailles's Hall of Mirrors.
Mirrors are supposed to be boring, but not when they not only serve as historical pieces, but also because such element were essential to the new aesthetics. This mirror is an early mirror that has lower reflection quality than modern mirrors. This mirror is symbolic of the new aristocracy focused design. This mirror is another allegory for the Versailles Hall of Mirrors. Notice the addition of the golden frame; mirrors, gold, crystals would dominate European court design for the subsequent centuries. That is the most significant aspect of this mirror.
Ah, a grandfather clock, or is it? You know, I'd like to believe this is indeed a grandfather clock, or at least an early revision of it. there is no pendulum, nor a cuckoo bird (I least I don't think so). Regardless, I think this piece is somewhat of a predecessor to the grandfather clock because of it's overall similarity in shape to modern grandfather clocks. However, if I was to criticize it's overall aesthetic value, I think it is quite confusing to look at; the hour hands and minutes are extremely difficult to read. Even if the clock serve a purpose, aesthetics can restrain function. Even still, numerical punctuality was not yet a widely accepted courtesy, and I can feel that this particular piece of furniture likely served as a showpiece only.
On my way out of this particular exhibit, I was greeted by this funky little machine. I would think it's a seismograph of some sort, but I know it's clearly not part of the exhibit at all. To find this odd little machine after all the previous two surprise galleries only confused me more. I was not sure what kinds of exhibits I should expect from then forward. Regardless, I was glad that weapons, armor, furniture, clocks, glassware was all included as forms of art. As I left this exhibit, little did I know that it I was less than halfway throughout the entire museum.
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