Saturday, October 11, 2008

Silver chocolate pot in Rococo Renaissance Revival room




I have created a Rococo style room from the late 19th to early 20th century by using is stylistic framing of the walls, layered curtains, and incorporating his furniture. The formal beverage service is displayed on a turtle style marble top Rococo table. The Sheer curtains under the heavier formal drapes soften the light entering the parlor. I framed the space with the chairs and the sofa with the center rug holding the frame together. The Mirror, chairs, table and couch are all of 25-30 years earlier. They would have been available to the wealthy that would have enjoyed an afternoon chocolate or coffee in the parlor.
The Parlor setting is a room that will be set aside for formal functions such as this. I am a fan of the Arts and Crafts movement. The dark wood of the Rococo furniture contrasted against the white plaster walls is similar to that of the arts and crafts movement I love so much. The simple lines of the furniture placed in this space accent the chocolate pot with similar lines. The unadorned fabrics of the chairs bring attention to the centerpiece of the tips on the furniture and mirror is similar to the hinged cap on both the chocolate pot and the coffee pot to its left. Both pots were available in Ceramic painted but the presence of silver in the space shows the well to do, to be able to afford such things. The embracing of the chocolate pot shows the sophistication and culture of the homeowners.
With an artifact such as this showing status and wealth and dated in the early 19th century I have been trying to find a space in a more modern setting that it would fit into. If we took the same scene and put it in today's life it wouldn't make sense. We don't have rooms we don't use anymore. We utilize convenience where we can and only use items like this for special occasions. It would be more of a conversation piece from a world gone by. The coffee pot too would be obsolete... the question would be posed about heat retention and cost. Not of the beauty, materials, and the point of making your own drink in a piece of art created for that purpose. The best location contrasted from the world of 1900 to the world of 2000 is the museum post with the candlesticks. This chocolate pot would be viewed in a box without the appreciation of the feel of the silver, the shape of the bone handle, the interaction between the drinker and the item to create something together, the tea-time ritual of "having a chocolate" with someone. Maybe it is time to stop and smell the roses...

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