Elevations and Plans of Two Boxes 1710 - 1727

Curator: At first glance, it presents a stark sort of functionalism, doesn't it? Very clean, very precise. Editor: Indeed. Here we have Pietro Paolo Coccetti's "Elevations and Plans of Two Boxes," created sometime between 1710 and 1727. The work on paper, rendered in pen and ink, showcases Coccetti's talents in both drawing and printmaking. The materials and process feel academic, really. Curator: Absolutely. Considering the use of line and geometry, it seems less about artistic expression and more about a craftsman laying out a design. It begs the question, were these intended as art objects themselves or blueprints for something else entirely? Editor: That’s the historical crux of it, isn’t it? Architectural drawings gained esteem as collectible items in their own right during the Baroque era. This work resides now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. So how did architectural plans transition from workshop necessities to displayed objects and thus pieces of fine art? Curator: Right, how are museum standards changing to consider and preserve such media? The precision, of course, speaks to a society valuing order, maybe the early Enlightenment's influence. Also, what dictates the box dimensions? Social use? Bureaucracy? Material constraints? Editor: Interesting, material constraints! Boxes are usually functional items. But Coccetti's plans present the ‘ideal’ box, abstracted from any specific utility. It's function in theory. It pushes against those historical roles. Curator: Yes! This invites me to consider if, in its current displayed form, Coccetti's sketch has become a symbolic 'box’ within the grand, art-historical one—an exhibit about how materials or function ascend toward display! It is, however, a very literal kind of artwork when one ponders how people lived among or stored with, maybe also displayed and enjoyed these “boxes”, what that could’ve been, and whether there is a modern functional correlation. Editor: Fascinating! To move these "boxes" from daily life, function, labor towards symbolic objects of "art". It just leaves so many questions that this raises about social structures, the artist, consumerism. Curator: Thank you, that perspective has further helped me appreciate these "boxes".