Hekwerk van Jean Lamour op Place Stanislas te Nancy before 1896

Editor: This is an engraving, before 1896, depicting the ironwork of Jean Lamour at Place Stanislas in Nancy. There’s a formal grandeur to it, a captured elegance. It feels frozen in time. What strikes you most when you look at this, in terms of its… whisper it… emotional landscape? Curator: Oh, "emotional landscape," I like that! It speaks to the quiet ambition of craftsmanship. It reminds me of a hushed promise. All that intricate metalwork… like frozen lace, isn’t it? And think about the light playing through it, back when this print was made… Imagine horse-drawn carriages clip-clopping past, casting long shadows, secrets being whispered… Does it perhaps speak to the iron will needed to create such delicate things? Editor: The phrase "iron will" really makes it click. How would it have functioned for people moving through this space? Curator: Ah, function. An excellent word! Function is so terribly… tyrannical. What it *truly* offered was theatre. Lamour didn't just forge metal; he forged a statement about power and beauty intertwined. That gate whispers "Welcome, but remember who’s in charge”. Isn't that divine? Like a subtle, metallic power-play? Editor: I suppose the craftsmanship on its own sends that message, too. I see the power and care put into this single element of city life, that it really transforms that bit of Nancy. I hadn't thought about the political messaging too. Thanks so much. Curator: Anytime. Perhaps all art is both intensely beautiful *and* deeply political at its heart. One cannot exist without the other, don’t you think? It's what makes it terribly thrilling.