Breed en smal fries before 1630

Editor: So this ink drawing, *Breed en smal fries* which translates to *Wide and Narrow Frize*, dates back to before 1630, artist unknown. All of these swirls and repeating patterns feel very contained and restrictive, almost like an elaborate cage. How do you interpret this work? Curator: What strikes me is how this ornamental design, a 'frieze,' speaks to power structures of its time. Baroque art, while seemingly decorative, often served to reinforce social hierarchies. Can you see how the controlled, repeating motifs mirror the desire for order and control characteristic of the aristocratic class? Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way. The cherubs almost feel like they are peeking out from behind bars now that you mention it! Were these types of designs used in specific locations? Curator: Exactly! This could be used as decoration of architecture, furniture or other precious objects belonging to those who wish to display power through taste. Consider that ornament, at its essence, can be a tool to create distinctions - between those who 'have' and those who 'have not.' What do you think that says about accessibility of art at the time? Editor: That's a good point. It wasn't necessarily made to be viewed in public but consumed as property of the elite, reinforcing a very undemocratic ownership of beauty. Curator: Precisely. This piece is beautiful, yes, but also a potent symbol of cultural gatekeeping, reflective of gendered roles and who held economic power during this period. Food for thought, no? Editor: Definitely food for thought! Thanks, I will remember to interrogate artwork more for their underlying themes of power!