Ontwerp voor schakels en sluiting van een halsketting 1911

Mathieu Lauweriks made this pencil and watercolor sketch for a necklace clasp sometime around 1911. Look at the way he's laid out the design. It's not just a technical drawing; it's like he's thinking through the object in real time. I can imagine Lauweriks at his desk, probably with a really sharp pencil. He's not just designing a clasp, he's figuring out how it feels to wear it. I like the yin-yang symbol in the central clasp; you can feel the tension between the different elements, a little push and pull that brings it alive. The colors he's used, that soft yellow and gray, give it a kind of antique feeling. The sketch feels connected to other design movements of the time, like the Arts and Crafts movement, where the handmade and the personal touch were so important. And it makes you wonder about all the other artists and designers who’ve sketched out their ideas, building on each other's work across time. It’s a reminder that everything is in conversation.