Cartouche 1830 - 1904

This “Cartouche” was made by Robert William Hume in the 19th century, using ink on paper. The paper, aged and creased, has a certain beauty. You can see the grid lines underneath the drawing. They are a clue that this wasn't meant to be an artwork in itself. More likely it was a study or design, perhaps for a wood carving, plasterwork, or some other decorative element. Ink drawings like this one are a window onto the work processes that often go unseen. The qualities of the ink – its darkness, the way it bleeds into the paper – give the drawing its character. Hume’s control of the medium suggests his academic training. The symmetry of the design indicates that its final iteration would have likely been industrially reproduced, thereby fitting into the growing consumer demands of the time. It is pieces like this that encourage us to look beyond conventional categories. The drawing may be “merely” preparatory, but it has an aesthetic interest all its own.