Objekt 5
Dining service
Description
The decoration, which at first seems so cheerful, reveals unexpected depictions upon closer inspection. In the center of each is a boy in military dress, surrounded by loosely distributed children's play objects, especially those of the militaristic-warlike realm: warships, submarines, trumpets and cannons. On some tableware pieces there are the crossed war flags of the German Empire and Austria-Hungary. The tableware shows very vividly how much in imperial Germany children were already attuned to a military career.
Object description
Dresden, Villeroy & Boch, beginning of the 20th century
Earthenware with colored overprint decoration (on the glaze)
Gift Madeleine Wiesner-Garbi, Basel
Inv. 1994.398.