Design for a Bath in the Form of an Elongated Polygonal Temple, Plan and Two Elevations 1735 - 1765

Curator: Here we have John Vardy’s “Design for a Bath in the Form of an Elongated Polygonal Temple, Plan and Two Elevations,” created sometime between 1735 and 1765. What's your initial impression? Editor: It feels...imposing. Even in this delicate drawing, you sense the sheer ambition. And also a slightly cold austerity; the rigid geometry and formal ornament hint at an elite context. Curator: Exactly. Vardy was deeply involved with the built environment of the British elite. It’s worth remembering that materials would be carefully selected to convey the status and wealth of those who commissioned and used them. This wasn’t just a functional design for bathing; it was a statement. Editor: It’s fascinating how a bath, something so fundamentally bodily, gets elevated into this temple form. We should consider the historical moment; what does this Neoclassical obsession say about power, privilege, and even the colonial projects that underwrote these material expressions? Who had access to these bathing rituals? Curator: And consider the craftsmanship. The meticulous drawing itself becomes a performance of skill, showcasing the labor needed to even conceptualize such a structure, let alone construct it. The medium reinforces the message. Editor: Yes, let’s not forget the social and economic machinery behind such projects. Vardy isn’t just creating an object; he's contributing to a visual language of dominance. How does the consumption of these kinds of spaces speak to the cultural values placed upon bodies, class, and leisure? Curator: The printmaking process to replicate such designs, speaks to the expansion of such architecture through England...it is more than mere decoration; it becomes an active participant in broader conversations around identity and place. Editor: Precisely, Vardy’s drawing encapsulates an era. Thank you, it prompts a lot of thoughts around the narratives embedded in art and the historical conditions of power relations it represents. Curator: Indeed, seeing the artistry of drawing as connected to material and society really deepens my engagement with pieces like these.