Twee voetstukken met guirlandes 1751 - 1775

This drawing shows two pedestal designs, rendered in ink on paper. They are by an anonymous artist. The printmaking process, likely etching or engraving, would have involved careful work with sharp tools, translating a three-dimensional form into a two-dimensional image. The stark black lines against the white ground give a clear sense of the pedestals’ structure and ornamentation, focusing on line and form rather than the inherent qualities of stone or wood. Consider the labor involved in quarrying, carving, and polishing real-life pedestals like these. By contrast, the drawing is relatively quick and easy to produce, which lends itself to the world of design and circulation. This act of translating material and labor into a readily reproducible image shifts the pedestal from the realm of craft to the realm of design, prefiguring its potential mass production. Here, materials and making are abstracted, emphasizing the commodification of design over the artistry of handcraft.