Chair panel 1700 - 1715

Editor: So, this is a "Chair Panel," probably crafted between 1700 and 1715. The Met attributes it to Daniel Marot the Elder, though I imagine workshops were involved in these things. It's described as drawing, textile and sculpture, which sounds unusual! What strikes me is its sort of... exuberant formality. I mean, it’s baroque on steroids, right? What do you make of it? Curator: Exuberant is a wonderful word! And steroids are involved, I think – aesthetic steroids! It's so densely packed with symbolism and aspirational grandeur. Look at the two burly fellows holding up what appears to be an embroidered scene... they are not so subtly suggesting the weight and importance of the person meant to sit on this chair, or perhaps rather, whose derriere will be bestowed upon it. Now, doesn't this level of overt display make you consider power, status, maybe even anxieties of the time? Editor: Anxieties? I hadn't thought of it that way. I was stuck on the shell motif up top, kind of campy but very Neptune, and then the weird little dangling bits hanging underneath that other winged head! Are those tassels or... plumb bobs? Curator: (chuckles) Well spotted. Those “dangly bits” contribute to the visual vocabulary; maybe tassels for pomp, and plumb bobs to ensure...level-headedness of the sitter? All playful guessing, of course. But Daniel Marot was a master of creating a stage. How fascinating to ponder this theater on a chair back. It makes one want to write plays just for furniture! Editor: So, beyond the status signaling, is there something... rebellious even? Poking fun? Curator: Rebellious! Interesting idea. Perhaps. These were complicated times and maybe Marot's tongue was only slightly in his cheek as he concocted this theatrical riot for the sitter's approval and comfort. Editor: Hmmm. Baroque on steroids AND subtly subversive! I like that idea, somehow. It just adds another layer of intrigue to all this... busyness! Curator: Exactly! It is an exuberant busyness that hopefully nudges us to see beyond the decoration and to wonder about the world the piece embodies, or wishes it could.