Wandkandelaars c. 1710 - 1720

Editor: This is "Wandkandelaars," a drawing made around 1710-1720 by André Charles Boulle. It's all in ink on paper, and I'm struck by how meticulously detailed each candelabra design is. What do you see in this piece, especially given your interest in cultural memory? Curator: The candelabras evoke the grand interiors of the Baroque era. Notice how each design incorporates symbolic elements. For example, do you observe repeated motifs? The leaves and scrollwork… They signify not just decoration, but abundance and refined taste. It recalls a society preoccupied with projecting power and prosperity. Editor: Definitely. The ornate designs practically scream "luxury," but I’m wondering if the candelabras might also reflect something deeper, maybe the relationship between light and knowledge, or status and taste. Curator: Precisely. Consider light in this period—before electricity, candlelight was precious. Light symbolized enlightenment but it also literally illuminated one's wealth, position, their place and role in the world. The intricacy is an overt display. Now look closer – do some forms repeat more clearly than others? Editor: Yes, that volute detail shows up quite a lot. Almost as if it's the signature element tying the series of sketches together in a coherent design, not just different designs. Curator: Indeed! It becomes the linchpin—holding those ideals visually steady. Through repeating the basic "curve" of design it also creates a story connecting a single "idea" that the family can represent themselves through and hold over time. We see, even in design, how a sense of unity can echo through the generations. What do you think of that connection now? Editor: It brings up the whole idea of designed objects speaking about their owner and their society and values at many layers and in many voices. Curator: Precisely, it shows a designed visual language carrying cultural continuity, across time, even now as we contemplate it.