Armchair (one of a pair) (part of a set) 1758 - 1769

Editor: Here we have "Armchair," a component of a set created between 1758 and 1769, currently residing at The Met. It's the work of Johann Michael Bauer, rendered in carved wood. It feels almost too precious to sit on! I wonder, what catches your eye most about this piece? Curator: The whimsy! It practically sings a rococo opera. Look how the floral carvings seem to be bursting forth. It's not just a chair; it’s a statement, isn't it? A flamboyant 'look at me!' amidst the often stifling formality of 18th-century court life. Makes you wonder what conversations it overheard… scandalous secrets, no doubt! What do you make of the lattice-work on the back? Editor: I hadn't considered the social aspect, more the craft. That lattice is unusual… It seems to confine the foliage. Is it trying to reign in the wildness, to impose some order? Curator: Exactly! A gilded cage for nature, perhaps. Or maybe a stylized garden trellis, a hint of the outdoors brought inside. Remember, appearances mattered above all. Beauty was paramount, but even beauty had to adhere to certain societal expectations. Do you think the artist succeeded in harmonizing nature with artifice? Editor: Hmm… The curves are so organic, but the gilding feels inherently artificial. There’s definitely a tension. Curator: A tension that's so very Rococo! A playful dance between what's real and what's imagined, the natural and the utterly fabricated. It's delicious, really. Editor: I see it now – it’s not just decorative, it’s a little rebellious. I’ll never look at fancy furniture the same way again. Curator: Exactly, and art should always do that. Change the way we look at the everyday. And maybe inspire us to find the extraordinary within the ordinary, like a gilded flower pushing through a trellis.