French 15th century Lockplate 1875 - 1885

Curator: Looking at this pencil drawing, one feels a delicate and refined artistry, even in its unfinished state. Editor: Indeed, its restraint evokes a curious sense of anticipation, as if the final product might spring into existence at any moment. Tell me, what exactly are we observing? Curator: This drawing, aptly titled "French 15th Century Lockplate," was conceived by Richardson, Ellson & Co., somewhere between 1875 and 1885. It’s part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a sketch intended to capture a key component that was part of furniture making and interior design of the time. Editor: Ah, so this isn't a finished artwork per se, but a blueprint, an exploration of form meant to be translated into material? That shifts my perspective. The symmetry becomes not just aesthetic, but functional, essential for the mechanisms within a lock. Curator: Precisely. One can imagine the craftsmen of the era studying these very lines, internalizing them before selecting materials, employing techniques and then bringing the Lockplate to life with precision. Its existence, divorced from that labor, makes it inherently incomplete in some ways. Editor: I concede that viewpoint, but in its rawness there's something alluring, you get to perceive the initial conception unmasked of excess ornament. Notice the linear quality. This skeleton conveys what is solid: there are lines with so much precision that speaks volumes about how solid that design actually is, despite its appearance. Curator: Absolutely, the lines act as a sort of skeleton revealing that sense of structure within it. Also, that the design and architecture are there from the start. This is such a revealing intersection of material, design, and societal role of such ornament in domestic environments. Editor: Ultimately it demonstrates the convergence of intention, form, function, labor, revealing an important visual understanding, Curator: Well, after this examination, this simple design elevates functional artifacts to new spheres of artistic awareness. Editor: This object goes beyond utility by reflecting the elegance inherent within design!