Ontwerp voor een koorgestoelte 1519 - 1590

This is a design for a choir stall by Leone Leoni, rendered with pen and ink. The drawing gives us a sense of the material qualities of the finished object, particularly its monumentality. Imagine the labor involved in realizing this design in carved wood. The choir stall is not just a seat, but a stage for ritual, a statement of power. We can appreciate Leoni’s skill in conceiving such a complex structure. The drawing itself provides a material anticipation of the choir stall. Consider the relationship between design and production in Leoni’s time; a world away from our own era of mass manufacture. The stall’s realization would rely on the skill of numerous woodworkers and artisans, each contributing to the final design. The drawing therefore represents the beginning of a long and painstaking process, as well as the hierarchical systems of labor required to produce luxury goods. The importance of materials and making in understanding an artwork such as this encourages us to challenge traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.