09/10 Academic Decathlon French Revolution Art Selection #3 - Wine Cooler

Wine cooler, 1753, French; Vincennes, Soft-paste porcelain, H. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm), W. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm), Diam. 8 in. (20.3 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Vicennes porcelain factory started in 1740 in the town of Vincennes just east of Paris. Louis XV was a major shareholder in the operation initially but acquired full ownership in 1759 and it became a national factory at that time. Before the factory in France, porcelain was imported from China.

Porcelain is a beautiful white ceramic material that when fired has a glassy surface. There are two types of porcelain made from a white clay called kaolin - hard-paste and soft-paste. Soft-paste porcelain is more challenging to produce because it has a lower clay content and is more difficult to shape. The Vincennes Manufactory produced high quality products. They enjoyed royal patronage and had superior skill working with the more challenging material.

The function of the wine cooler was to keep a bottle chilled. There is a central decorative panel with gold accents on the handles and panel. The background color, a beautiful turquoise called blue céleste, was first developed the year this was made and was a color unique to the factory. The naturalistic design is typical of Rococo - flora and foliage painted in a soft pastel palette of pinks, blues and greens. The manufacturers of fine ceramics are identified by a mark (or logo) on the bottom of the piece. The wine cooler has a "double-Louis" mark that has two intertwined letter "L's" with a letter "A" and a dot at the top and bottom. These marks changed from time to time which helps historians date works to the time frame they would have been manufactured in.

Needless to say, these items were enjoyed by the aristocracy. A table service could have as many as five hundred pieces: plates, platters, serving dishes and coolers for bottles and glasses! French porcelain of the 18th century was elegant, elaborate, glitzy and highly decorative. Imagine sitting down for dinner and being surrounded by so many beautiful pieces - ooh la la!

Portrait of Louis XV of France

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #17

Beaker, Maya Civilization, 600 A.D., Polychrome ceramic, 7 x 5 in. (Pre-Hispanic Art)

Have you ever made a pot using the coiling technique? You role out a long snake of clay and coil it into the shape you want. Then you use water and your fingers or a tool to smooth the surfaces. It's a fun way to make a pot! The Mayan potters used this technique because they didn't have a potter's wheel. After forming the shape, they would let it dry until it was leather hard, then paint it with "slip" (minerals and earth materials mixed with water to make a kind of paint.) They know this was made in the Classic period because it has so many colors.

Two males are seated, dressed in elaborate textiles and jewelry. They have make-up and headdresses. The smoke that seems to come from the figure in the front is meant to indicate speech or communication. The heiroglyphs above their heads could detail their identity or the nature of the ritual. Hooked noses were aesthetically pleasing to them. The figures are stylized but look naturalistic.

Here's a quiz you can take about the Mayan and a beaker. See how you do! There is also what appears to be a high school PowerPoint on the web that is related to the work chosen for AcDec - check it out! Scroll down the presentation to see the beaker slide, but check out the others! It has some great information in it!

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #10

Standing Female, Jalisco, 200 B.C., Ceramic, 7 1/4 x 3 1/2 in. (Pre-Hispanic Art)

The top figure was excavated in the state of Jalisco, the bottom one in Michoacan. Both are made of clay.

The top figure is tall and thin and stylized with elastic-like arms. One of her arms rests on her waist while the other reaches in front of the body and touches the necklace she's wearing. The necklace and headdress are formed from coils of clay.

The bottom figure is short and squat and has more clay details on the figure. The four circles on her upper arms could be body adornment or scarification. She, too, has a necklace which may represent carved shells or stones.

Little is know about the purpose of these figures, though their location in mass graves indicates they were probably burial offerings. Check out more about the history of Pre-Columbian art.

Standing Female, Ancient Michoacan, 200 B.C., Earthenware, 6 x 3 in. (Pre-Hispanic Art)

08/09 Academic Decathlon Image #7

Smiling Head, Veracruz, Ceramic, 6 x 7 in. (Pre-Hispanic Art)

This piece of hollow ceramic work is considered unique in the Classic and Epiclassic period. Because this piece was found along with tens of thousands clay figurines at the site called Remojadas, the identifying classification "remojadas figures" is applied to such objects.

The shape of the head is stylized and reflects their idea of beauty at the time. Made of clay, it was shaped while in a plastic state and then fired. Some of the figures had the addition of paint on the surface emphasizing certain features. As with so many artifacts, the exact purpose of this object is unknown, but many of them were found in burials. But, smiling figures are very rare in ancient Mesoamerican art, so this smiling head must have had special significance. Be careful not to put your own cultural understanding of a smiling face as an expression of happiness in your interpretation, because this ancient culture may have had a very different significance for the expression!

07/08 Academic Decathlon Art Selection #11

This is an Alkaline Glazed Stoneware Jar made by David Drake in 1862. Have you ever made anything out of ceramics? Do you know how they are fired in a kiln? See what you can find out about this piece. It may not be beautiful to our aesthetics today, but I guarantee that Mr. Drake felt great personal satisfaction after the successful completion of his project!