Valentine 1847 - 1870

Curator: Isn't this delightful? We're looking at "Valentine," a delicate creation made sometime between 1847 and 1870. It’s currently housed here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s made from paper, through print and drawing techniques. Editor: It’s so pretty! There's such a quaint, heartfelt feeling—it makes me think of hushed whispers and secret crushes. All that careful fretwork almost dissolves before your eyes! Curator: Yes, the artist chose watercolor and printmaking to conjure that fragile, romantic feeling. What about those ubiquitous symbols? What do the motifs of the birds and the rose mean? Editor: Birds—they’re classic messengers! I wonder, with the roses, whether that says something deeper about passion and purity and romantic ideas surrounding courtly love. Think of their representation in Romanticism: there are complex historical meanings. And the pierced paper is like a portal to the inner world, don't you think? Curator: The layered paper definitely has a quality of unveiling… And how it frames the written words...it feels deeply intentional. What's also fascinating is how Valentine employs Romantic aesthetics and adapts a folk art format in such an unusual way! The lace effect reminds me of delicate porcelain. Editor: That's a beautiful thought. Maybe that tension—between decorative delicacy and the raw emotion of love—is what makes it so lasting, and universal. People change, technology shifts, yet here is evidence of something eternally felt. Curator: Precisely! It’s a tiny artifact that transcends its period, speaking volumes about the human heart! What do you feel now? Editor: It invites a pause, almost demands intimacy! I can almost hear the flutter of a loved one's heartbeat… Curator: Beautifully put.