Design for a Cartouche, Plate 2 from 'Neü inventierte sehr dienstiche Schilde oder Cartouches' 1745 - 1755

Editor: This engraving, "Design for a Cartouche," comes to us from Jeremias Wachsmuth, sometime between 1745 and 1755. All those swirling lines—it reminds me of iced wedding cakes. A sort of visual sugar rush. What am I meant to be seeing in it, beyond all that delectable detail? Curator: A cartouche! Isn't that a fabulous word? In essence, it’s a decorative frame, usually oval or oblong, intended to hold an inscription, a coat of arms, or some other emblem of importance. Think of it as the Baroque era’s version of… a bumper sticker, perhaps, but infinitely more elegant! Editor: So it’s less about the object itself and more about what you would put inside? Curator: Precisely! It's a space for claiming identity, declaring allegiance, or simply adding a flourish. Wachsmuth’s design is particularly interesting because it's so over-the-top, it becomes this explosion of pure form, a celebration of curves and flourishes for their own sake. Think of it not just as ornamentation, but also an architecture for the eye. Does that resonate for you? Editor: Absolutely. I see it now—less sugary sweetness, more about structural, albeit flamboyant, possibility. Kind of changes the game, actually. Curator: Doesn't it? Art, at its best, prompts that sort of playful shifting of perspective. What seemed like surface now reveals depth, and the invitation is always to dive in. Editor: I’ll never look at another iced cake the same way. Thank you!