Despite its lime-green background, “A Taste of Power: 18th Century German Porcelain for the Table” is easy to miss at first among the many other works of art currently on view at the Busch-Reisinger Museum. The exhibition, which runs through June 30, is surprisingly small, consisting of four cases housing a total of only five porcelain figurines. However, what the pieces lack in size, they make up for in beauty. Each precious inch of the figurines is carefully painted and lined with a surprising amount of detail. Their life-like, agile representations of people—which look as though they could jump back to life at a moment’s notice—sets the figurines apart from the static nature of most statues.

The historical context of these porcelains was the subject of a day-long symposium, “Tables of Content,” and a dance and music performance that took place in the Sackler and Fogg Musuems this past Saturday. “I wanted to highlight this aspect of porcelain that people are not familiar with, and try to show people who are not interested in porcelain at all that you might think you know everything about it, but if you dig a little deeper you will find this rich history,” curator Heather Hess says.

This history includes the fact that, in the 18th century, Chinese porcelain was known in Europe as “white gold.” “There were strict secrets on how to create Chinese porcelain, so European scientists and alchemists attempted for hundreds of years to replicate East Asian porcelain,” Hess says. “China was known as the bleeding bowl of Saxony, because Augustus the Strong, one of the administrators, spent so much of the state’s money on porcelain.” Thus, when the recipe for making porcelain was finally discovered in Meissen, Germany, the tiny porcelain figurines were quickly elevated to symbols of power and prestige in European courts.

The speeches given at the symposium, which brought distinguished scholars of art and design from all over the nation to Harvard, focused on topics including the evolution of luxury items, from porcelain to purses. The figurines were used as table decorations at lavish Baroque banquets and festivals and created an atmosphere of luxury, which Valerie Steele, from The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, likened to the feeling one gets today when walking into a Louis Vuitton store. “Part of the luxury experience is going to the store and admiring the architecture,” Steele says. “Modern luxury is an aura of excellence.”

In the 18th century, these porcelain centerpieces often depicted miniature versions of the gardens they were frequently surrounded by or portrayed the court jesters and dancers who had just entertained the guests before the feast. Dance was an integral part of aristocratic society, and often the Baroque festivals featured private theatrical entertainment including dancing or a ball before the actual meal. Thus, the dance and music performance held in the Fogg Courtyard was incorporated to give modern day viewers a taste of this 18th-century European extravagance. Dancers Camilla Finlay and Ken Pierce, fully dressed in period costume including makeup and wigs, danced to live music performed by a trio of string players. Dances included popular choreographed pieces from the court of Louis XIV, such as “L’aimable vainqueur,” as well as a minuet, a dance which was unique because it was not choreographed to a specific song and could be danced unrehearsed with any partner.

Following the performance, art historian Meredith Chilton elaborated on these 18th-century entertainments, focusing especially on the character of the harlequin. One of the most popular stock characters featured in the Commedia dell’arte, an improvisational theater group, the harlequin was a comic servant character. Often dressed in bright, eye-catching costumes, the harlequin was a favorite subject of 18th-century porcelain sculptors. Though less than a handful of actual harlequin costumes survive today, those on display seem empty compared to the porcelain figurines that recall the actors’ expressiona and posea. “What’s important about these sculptures is they show you a three-dimensional view of these costumes and the figure,” Chilton says.

“A Taste of Power” demonstrates that porcelain figurines are not just the “little tchotchkes on your grandparent’s table,” but rather symbols of status and wealth whose diminutive size belies their large historical importance. However, the “Tables of Content” was more than just a history lesson; the symposium also focused on the relevance of the porcelains in modern culture.

“I really think there is a connection with culture today, because of the bombastic extravagance of modern day parties . . . such as on the TV show ‘My Super Sweet Sixteen,’” Hess says. “These parties with 16-year-olds are decadent, and it’s kind of sickening that you would spend so much money on one night. But it’s interesting to remember that these kinds of events were common in the 18th century.” The porcelain figurines themselves seem to represent the connections between these two worlds of luxury, with the intricate Baroque objects placed before a brightly colored contemporary background.