Vingerdoek met vissen c. 1900 - 1925

Chris Lebeau made this linen tea towel, or 'Vingerdoek met vissen', that's in the Rijksmuseum, and you can see it’s got these silvery grey patterns of fish and watery plants woven into it. Imagine Lebeau at the loom, figuring out how to make these fish sort of swim and weave in this square space. I mean, that takes some serious planning and a good eye. It’s like he's not just making a useful cloth, but crafting this whole underwater vibe. The way the fish are stylized, it reminds me of Art Nouveau, but with a really practical twist. It's cool how he takes something ordinary, like a tea towel, and turns it into a piece that makes you think about design, nature, and how we live with art every day. Artists are always figuring out how to sneak beauty into the mundane, right?