Ornament van de trap van de bibliotheek (vermoedelijk) van het Palais des Tuileries te Parijs before 1870

Editor: This is Edouard Baldus’s “Ornament van de trap van de bibliotheek (vermoedelijk) van het Palais des Tuileries te Parijs,” made before 1870, using ink and etching on paper. It gives me a very formal, almost intimidating feeling because it feels so meticulously detailed. What story does this drawing tell you? Curator: This detailed study opens a window into the world of 19th-century Paris, a period defined by profound social and political shifts. Beyond the intricate line work, I see echoes of power, class, and the deliberate construction of identity through architectural grandeur. How does this relate to shifts in power? Editor: Good question. Are you suggesting the Tuileries Palace represented more than just a building? Curator: Absolutely. Palaces are stages. Consider how the palace was a seat of power, but the drawing isolates a decorative detail. Does isolating ornament strip it of power or does it allow us to dissect how power is constructed through imagery? It invites us to examine how aesthetics serve to uphold existing hierarchies or challenge them. Can ornament be resistance? Editor: That's a fascinating perspective! It hadn’t occurred to me that such a formal image could raise questions of resistance. I mostly saw status. Curator: Well, and consider this image, created before 1870. It's crucial to consider what came *after*. After the Commune, the Tuileries Palace was burned to the ground. Looking at this intricate drawing, how does it make you feel knowing what will happen? Editor: Now I’m also feeling a deep sense of loss and maybe even anger. That this level of detail and craft would just vanish… Curator: Yes, it prompts us to think about how art documents and memorializes, but also bears witness to systemic violence and destruction. It has layers upon layers. Editor: Thanks! Now, thinking about this piece in relation to feminist theory helps me unpack a whole new narrative that I wouldn't have noticed on my own.