Trapleuningen in Louis XV-stijl en wandkandelaars 1862 - 1867

Isaac Gosschalk made this drawing of Louis XV-style banisters and sconces, but the materiality is implicit. The designs would have been wrought in iron, a material strong in tension, and therefore well-suited to both structural and decorative functions. The Louis XV style favored asymmetry and naturalistic ornament, and this drawing displays those qualities. Note the sinuous curves, which suggest the organic forms of plant tendrils. To realize them in iron would have required skilled labor: the metal heated and hammered into shape, or perhaps cast in molds using the lost wax process. Either way, these are luxury items, intended for wealthy patrons who could afford both the material and the skilled labor required to produce them. In this light, the drawing can be understood not just as a design, but as a reflection of the social relations of production: the relationship between the architect, the ironworker, and the consumer. By considering the original materiality and modes of production we can appreciate the full significance of this drawing and these objects.