Purrquoise the Traveling Cat

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Announcer: This is a Getty podcast.

[Theme music begins]

Host: By car, by plane, or by boat…what’s the longest journey you’ve ever taken? And how did it change how you see the world?

 Welcome to If Objects Could Talk, the podcast where art and artifacts come alive to tell their side of the story.

Today’s guest is no ordinary cat. This charismatic kitty was made from porcelain and bright turquoise glaze in China in the 1700s. Shortly after, he traveled all the way to France, where he was given a luxurious tasseled golden stool to sit on. After hanging around France’s rich and famous for a few centuries, he moved to Los Angeles in 2024, and today he’s here to tell us all about his journey halfway around the world.

Purrquoise: Are you ready for an adventure? Then you’re in luck. I am a traveling cat of grand escapades and even grander tales.

[Adventurous music plays]

I am a porcelain cat, almost as large as a real-life house cat. [cat meows] I’m bright turquoise with red glass eyes and a smile that shows off my teeth. [bell chimes] I’ve overheard some recent guests at the museum say I would fit right in with some singing demon slayers. [KPop-style music plays] Though I haven’t done that yet, I always have an ear out for my next adventure. Who knows what I might discover?

[Adventurous music resumes]

My bright turquoise hue is usually the first thing that catches an admirer’s attention. [person says “Ooh!”] But here’s a question for you: would you call that color blue or green? [child says “Hmm…”] Ah! You’ve fallen into my trap. Visitors today would call my color blue, but when I was made in China, turquoise was considered a green color.

[child says “Huh?”] Haven’t you heard? Colors exist on a spectrum, which means there are infinite colors out there, if you’re sensitive enough to recognize them, that is. To make sense of these many shades, humans separated colors into categories and gave them names. This made it easier to be on the same page when talking about color. [child says “Wow!”]

Why does this matter? Well, for one thing, language grows all the time, so if you ever see an in-between shade, come up with a name real quick and maybe it will stick.

Child #1: Blorange?

Child #2: Yeah, blue. [laughs]

Child #3: “Jellow” is a little yellow and a little orange.

Purrquoise: Also, it’s a good reminder that different cultures and different time periods separate things into categories in unique ways. [guitar riff plays] Any savvy adventurer must keep their wits and an open mind when traveling. I would know. I was made in China in the early 1700s. As soon as I was created, I knew I was destined for adventure.

[Soft lute music plays]

You probably have some adventuring objects around you, too. Don’t believe me? Well, where’s your shirt from? [rustling sounds] Your backpack? [zipper opens] How about the fruit you ate at lunch? [crunch of an apple] If you’re like most people, the things you use every day come from all over the world. They were made or grown in lots of other countries, and then shipped [ship horn], flown [airplane flying], or driven to nearby stores [truck driving], or maybe even delivered right to your doorstep. [doorbell rings] When objects travel to other countries to be sold, they’re called exports, and I was born to be exported.

[Upbeat classical music]

In the 1700s, Chinese porcelain and other artworks were very popular in Europe. [voice says “Ooh, la, la.”] However, traveling between Europe and China was long and dangerous. [water sounds and a voice says “Ahoy there!”] Which only made us objects all the more valuable. [cash register chimes]

To meet the growing French demand for Asian goods, two big French companies joined together to compete against the Dutch as a powerful shipping company on the global stage. [voices laugh and man says “Au revoir”]. Now, they could send a dozen ships out each year and purchase impressive pieces of art, including porcelain, to sell in France at the highest prices.

Auctioneer: $58. $58 dollar bid, now, now—

Purrquoise: And of course, they knew I was destined for greatness.

[Triumphant music]

I began my journey on the coast of China. We traveled all the way down past the very southernmost tip of the continent of Africa, and then all the way back up north to France. This journey could take six to eight months for a one-way trip. [children gasp and say “Wow!”] These days, I hear visitors at the museum complain about traffic all the time.

Visitor: I took the 101 to the 405, but I had to get off and take Sepulveda because there was so much traffic. [car horns]

Purrquoise: But I don’t think any of them have taken a journey as long as I have. Heh! My sailing days were full of storms [thunder], rogue mice [squeaking], and excitement. [voice says “Yahoo!”] But once I arrived in France, I was stationed in a very fancy sitting room where I was expected to just sit. [voice sighs]

It seems my new French owner had a different perspective on what sort of cat I would be. I had been crafted with a hollow base and a small opening in my spine so that I could be used as an incense burner. In France, however, it was my appearance that people found most interesting. [voice says “Oh!”] In fact, I was even made to be more majestic than before! I was given new red glass eyes [glass chimes] and my posh golden stool to sit on. [heavy thump] There would be no burning anything around me now. I was too precious.

[Light classical music]

My new owner was the Marquise de Pompadour, sometimes called Madame de Pompadour, and she lived in a grand home now called the Élysée Palace. Madame was a big patron of the arts. She even advocated for porcelain manufacturing to become a royal enterprise. You could say that I was an inspiration to her. I won’t correct you.

[Music ends]

Madame de Pompadour was also a big fan of cats. [cat meows] I was one of many feline art pieces that decorated her rooms. [cats purr and meow] Altogether, I think we were the “cat’s meow”.

She was good friends with one of the most opulent men of all time, King Louis XV. Have you ever seen a painting of him? If not, imagine this:

[Energetic classical music]

Long, flowing white curls, heeled shoes, a long cape lined with spotted fur, and scepter and sword of glittering gold. Ah, the height of fashion. [child says “Huh?”] Oh, you disagree? No wonder people are showing up to see me at the museum these days wearing sweatpants. [sad trombone] It seems that fashion is like color. Over time, the categories of what’s popular shift. Still, I think your fit checks could use some inspiration from Louis. [triumphant music]

But although King Louis and Madame de Pompadour might have been all about opulence, not everyone appreciated their extravagance, particularly not those who were forced to clean it. [sweeping and voice sneezes]

Our understanding of the past is a matter of perspective, too. There are so many paintings and records of the rich and famous, but most people in France didn’t live like that. Take Madame de Pompadour’s Élysée Palace. [classical music begins] It’s often remembered for its noble residents, but the majority of the people living there were servants. I would see them starting work long before the nobles awoke, and continuing late into the evening when anyone would wanna be asleep. There were cooks, laundry staff, dressers, valets, doormen, [voice says “Bonjour!”] a librarian, and outside [birds chirping] I could see gardeners, groundskeepers, delivery and coachmen working with horses, and other kinds of palace staff coming and going, all working, working, working!

One day, in my very own apartment, a new valet de chambre named Martin [bells chime] was cleaning out the fireplace. [sweeping sounds] As he was carrying out the ashes, he tripped [stumbles and gasps] and dumped a cloud of black dust all over me! [rumble and crash] Now, I have been through many adventures. I have survived fiery kilns and long ocean voyages. I had no fear, but the young man panicked and ran out of the room. The other cat statues around me were alarmed. One said Martin would be let go. Let go? Let to go, where? And the more experienced cats told me this meant he would get fired from his job if his boss, one of the senior valets, learned what had happened. I felt terrible. Surely no one would be so severe over what was clearly an accident. But the other cats were certain this mistake would not be taken lightly.

Footsteps and voices approached. I braced myself for a shriek of horror. [voice screams] Instead, Martin returned with a young woman who I had once seen helping Madame with her skirts. She shook her head at Martin and promptly got to work. [woman tsks] She had the very softest cloth I had ever felt, and gently wiped away the soot that covered me. As they cleaned, she gave Martin an ear-raising lecture. It startled me to hear that this palace was not just where Martin worked, it was where he lived, too. He had a small bedroom somewhere near the attic that he shared with someone else, even though Madame de Pompadour had an entire suite of bedrooms to herself.

[Classical music resumes]

It was shocking to me. But despite the small quarters and the long working hours, Martin and his friend considered themselves lucky to have their jobs working for Madame. They spoke of many in France that were far worse off than they. I asked the other cat statues if this was true. They said it was! Many of them had been made in different parts of France, and they spoke of their journeys, of the lives of craft makers, days peering out through shop windows in towns, traveling by carriage and boat. There was great wealth in France, yes, but there was also great poverty. I admit, I was flabbergasted, and overhearing their discussions, I yearned for adventure once more, to see all the people and places they spoke about.

Luckily for Martin, everything was tidied up quickly. [voice says “Phew!”] Porcelain is quite straightforward to clean, and Martin was always much more careful when cleaning after that.

Nonetheless, I felt utterly changed. How close I had lived to people who had entirely different experiences without ever stopping to think of their side of things. I, who prided myself on being a worldly traveler, still needed a new perspective to understand my own home.

[Classical music plays]

As time went on, I listened to things more closely as people passed through the palace. Months turned into years, and years turned into decades. Madame passed away, and I began traveling again, bought and sold by wealthy patrons. As the ages passed, stories were told of revolutions in the Americas and in Europe, people standing up and demanding better. Hoping they could hear me, I whispered to the servants that things could be different!

So a few decades later, when in 1789, the people finally rose up, [crowds yelling] of course I was thrilled and not at all surprised. Perhaps you can say I inspired the French Revolution. I won’t correct you.

[Triumphant music]

But that, unfortunately, is an adventure that must wait for another time. For now, I will leave you to set out on your own adventure. What can you learn today that can give your life a new perspective?

[Theme music begins]

Host: I hope you enjoyed learning about trade, travel, and changing perspectives. Join us next time when a very vexed man begrudgingly shares his relaxation techniques. [voice grumbles]

To see photographs of the cat, visit our website at getty dot edu slash IOCT. We’ve also got a listening guide with discussion questions and related activities there.

This episode was written by Claire Hupy and produced by Zoe Goldman. Austin Farmer voiced the cat. Theme music, mixing, and sound design by Alexandra Kalinowski. Christopher Sprinkle is executive producer. Special thanks to curators Anne-Lise Desmas and Miriam Schefzyk, as well as Rebekkah Hart. Special thanks too to John and Amos McCue, and Felix Rice.

These stories are historical fiction. They’re based on historical facts and deep research, but we’ve filled in the gaps to make a good story. If you have questions about what you’ve heard, write to us at podteam at getty dot edu. Catch you next time!

[Theme music fades out]