Ontwerp voor een tapijt c. 1859

This is a carpet design made anonymously using an unknown medium. At first glance, the work assaults us with a riot of curvilinear forms, dominated by the paisley motif, in shades of red, pink, and burgundy. The composition reveals a complex interplay between repetition and variation, with each paisley subtly differentiated, challenging the very notion of identical replication. The artist, through a rigorous organization of shapes and colours, compels us to consider the carpet not merely as a functional object, but as a structured field of visual signs. The slight shift in tone and saturation across the surface hints at a deeper engagement with the material properties of dye and fabric. The strategic placement of contrasting colours within the paisley shapes disrupt conventional expectations of harmony, inviting us to question the established hierarchies of visual pleasure. It is an exploration into the nature of patterns and decoration, challenging us to reconsider our relationship to the familiar.