Siervaas met een leeuw 1750 - 1793

Curator: Here we have "Vase with a Lion" by Étienne de Lavallée-Poussin, created sometime between 1750 and 1793. It’s a pen and ink drawing on paper. The level of detail is incredible! Editor: It feels…oppressive, almost. The lion, seemingly poised to leap from the vase, its paws digging in. It's not the gentle, pastoral Neoclassicism I usually associate with that era. Curator: You’re right, there's a tension. Notice how the lion seems caught between raw power and the rigid formality of the vase design. It's a fascinating contrast. Perhaps reflecting the tension of society at the time. Editor: Definitely a potential commentary there. It makes me consider the role of objects—even beautiful ones like this vase—in enforcing social structures. Who owned these vases, what did they represent, and what did they contain? Curator: Absolutely, it provokes those kinds of thoughts. Also, in terms of visual symbols, consider the lion itself. It represents power and dominance, but is perched precariously, almost like it’s losing its grip on the vase and, therefore, the symbolism it upholds. The object's decorative elements—swags, grotesques, and the repeating patterns—speak to controlled aesthetics and social decorum. Editor: The precision in the pen work reinforces that control. But then there’s the suggestion of a sketch or discarded idea to the left of the vase adding a layer of vulnerability that destabilizes the overall effect. Curator: I hadn’t noticed that before! It shows process, perhaps the artist questioning the initial perfection. Editor: I see a pre-revolution uneasiness reflected here—a rigid exterior cracking, barely concealing raw energies straining to break free. Curator: What began as a simple decorative object drawing has evolved into a reflection of a shifting society through a symbolic language understood over the centuries! Editor: Precisely, it exemplifies the artist's sensitivity and captures something beyond surface beauty, which can inform and even alter our perspective.