Design for a Valance in the Style of Louis XVI with Bundles and Garlands of Flowers and an Ornamental Frame with a Tiger Face 1870 - 1900

This is a design for a valance made in the style of Louis XVI, with bundles and garlands of flowers and an ornamental frame with a tiger face. But what does it mean to design in the style of another era? This decorative drawing gestures towards the ornamental exuberance of the French aristocracy, even as it remains anonymous. The tiger face at the center might be read as a symbol of the exotic, a reference to France’s colonial holdings, and the opulent lifestyle of the ruling classes. The floral garlands, while ostensibly innocent, speak to the ways in which wealth and power are often cloaked in beauty. Consider the context of its creation; the tiger may hint at a complex interplay of dominance, desire, and the projection of power onto the natural world, reflecting colonial attitudes towards the East. This design invites us to reflect on the complex relationship between aesthetics, power, and identity. It prompts us to question whose stories are being told, and whose are being left out.