5.26.2010

UPSIDE DOWN

It was already during his studies at the Royal College of Arts that the London designer, Khashayar Naimanan, designed the Hidden Wealth service for Nymphenburg – a service which turns the conventions of porcelain painting on their head: Nymphenburg's mark is located on the top of the simple service with the complex paintings of Nymphenburg's designs being hidden underneath. Naimanan selected two floral patterns for HIDDEN WEALTH: one from the rococo period with naturalistic sometimes stylised blossoms in warm brilliant colours and leaves made from 24-carat gold as well as a classical empire design with a gilded vine that was originally used to adorn a tea service. Experts must usually check the marks on the bottom of porcelain pieces. But this design makes the actual value of the pieces immediately apparent on first inspection. While the splendour beneath the plain appearance of the mark remains concealed to cursory glances.
While I'm not crazy about the idea of plastering a logo on the TOP of a dish (yuck?), the painted undersides are genius, as is this lucite/mirrored dining contraption they obviously necessitate. I have a mirrored desk top with more brick-a-brack on it than Princess Margaret's had, and I often marvel at the undersides of the dishes and ephemera sitting on top of it.  It's a whole side of stuff you don't normally get to see.  It'd make for a novel dining experience,  at the very least...



Nymphenburg "Hidden Wealth" Service, by Khashayar Naimanan. Images via Nymphenburg and Stylepark in Residence.

5 comments:

ArchitectDesign™ said...

I have to agree with you on both points: the mark on the top is pretty repulsive but the design on the bottom is ingenius!! When the plate is full of food you can still enjoy the plate's design!

(IN)DECOROUS TASTE said...

Just had a thought: I guess one could make like Agador in the Birdcage and run furiously into the kitchen when guests run low on food?

Catherine said...

So pretty! Reminds me of something out of Through the Looking-glass on that mirrored table . . . I don't mind the tiny logo— some hallmarks are actually quite pretty! My mom's china at home has little unicorns on the back of them and as a kid I used to turn the plates over all the time to see them.

- Catherine at Littlehouse of Style
http://littlehouseofstyle.blogspot.com/

MiA said...

Haha! This is really cool!

miamarionette.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Wow, you are so glamorous with all its true mesmerising qualities, like a latter day Marchesa Casati.

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