Ontwerp voor een meubel, vermoedelijk een tafel c. 1928

Curator: At first glance, this piece has an almost melancholic quality due to the stark use of line. Editor: You're reacting to "Ontwerp voor een meubel, vermoedelijk een tafel," or "Design for a Piece of Furniture, Probably a Table" by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, around 1928. It's a pencil drawing. The Rijksmuseum holds it. Curator: Yes, and Cachet is playing with geometrical forms that appear rather flat, almost Cubist, in their conception, but there is also some asymmetry at play, right? One senses an attempt to wrestle something more organic out of rigid geometry. Editor: The lion-like creatures supporting the round top evoke images of strength, guardianship and historical heraldry – those emblems of dynasties, guilds, or principalities. There's a sense of tradition being streamlined through that modernist lens, as these mythical animals take on an almost cartoonish simplicity. Curator: Exactly. And I love your point about "streamlining." The pencil rendering allows for subtle gradations, creating depth and shadow—there's a push-pull happening in this seemingly straightforward design that complicates matters beyond a basic preparatory sketch. Note how the circular tabletop, contrasted against the geometric legs, creates visual interest. Editor: I find the bareness interesting too, perhaps an indicator of some post-war cultural feeling. This looks to me as a potential monument, and that evokes the public spaces and memories that must have weighed heavy at that moment. Curator: A potent thought. Its symbolic simplicity offers a fascinating bridge between periods and styles. Thanks to a lack of fussy ornamentation and the use of minimalist line, this piece succeeds at posing crucial design questions, that feel very forward looking to me, and the potential, or proposed, furniture offers some answers in an unshowy manner. Editor: Absolutely, it’s a beautiful meditation on form and the function of historical symbols.