Design for Cabinet Pianoforte, Louis Quatorze Style 1835 - 1900

Curator: This drawing is titled "Design for Cabinet Pianoforte, Louis Quatorze Style," attributed to Robert William Hume, and its creation falls roughly between 1835 and 1900. It’s currently part of the collection here at the Met. Editor: My first impression is one of contained opulence, a drawing where elegance meets domesticity. There's something theatrical about those delicate pink curtains, reminiscent of a stage. Curator: Indeed, this print showcases the Neoclassical movement through decorative arts, capturing a style popular for elite furniture. It hints at how objects could communicate status. Look at the medium, likely a print transferred to paper from a hand-drawn study; a careful mechanical act. Editor: I'm drawn to the recurring motifs. The flourishes atop the cabinet and echoed below remind me of classical theaters and royal crests. The Louis Quatorze reference certainly brings that association. Are these shapes designed to convey power or grace, or maybe both? Curator: It's crucial to understand these items existed as products of both artisanal skill and industry, created within complex labor dynamics. Even in design, there were decisions concerning how readily these forms could be made, disseminated, and consumed. How to market it towards certain segments of society? Editor: Thinking about the imagery further, the curtains framing the inner workings of the pianoforte serve as a metaphorical unveiling. It's a symbol of private expression brought to a decorative surface, domestic entertainment turned spectacle. One imagines an afternoon soiree taking place around it. Curator: It is also worth considering how design interacts with craftsmanship at this moment in time; what materials would've actually been employed, who were the consumers buying it, and how this intersected the cultural zeitgeist when purchasing instruments and decorative items? The details here, although appearing ornate, can reveal manufacturing capacities and marketing ploys. Editor: Thinking of musical performance, those drawn-back curtains evoke anticipation. Perhaps it also evokes domestic harmony in family togetherness around music, reflecting ideas on sentimental values. Curator: The convergence of practical crafting alongside symbolic encoding paints an intricate view on social values embedded within objects during this time. Thanks to art, history becomes a symphony, doesn’t it? Editor: Indeed, it provides a way for our symbolic imagination to travel back.