Gebatikte sierdoek met veelpuntige ster en florale motieven c. 1910

This Gebatikte sierdoek is a square textile by Willem Karel Rees, and it's giving me real textile meets mandala vibes. Imagine Rees, carefully applying dye, maybe working on the floor, turning the fabric to build this star shape bit by bit. You know, it’s kind of meditative, this repetition of floral shapes, almost like a prayer. It's pale pinks and creams set against a moody brown background. The contrast really makes those floral motifs pop, doesn’t it? It makes me think about the way that geometry meets nature. What could be more human than wanting to order the world in patterns. Yet I see a touch of the unexpected in it, too—some edges are sharp, others a bit blurred. Reminds me that even in the most structured forms, life sneaks in. We are all textile artists, one way or another, aren’t we? From a painting like this, to a quilt, to the clothes we put on in the morning, the urge to arrange and pattern our world is a powerful and universal one.