Design for Three Panels for a Library 1745 - 1785

Editor: This drawing, "Design for Three Panels for a Library," was created between 1745 and 1785 by Giovanni Battista Cipriani. It's rendered in pencil, and gives off a sort of light, airy feeling with all these classical figures floating on what appear to be clouds. I’m curious, what stands out to you in this piece? Curator: The means of production for something like this—a preparatory drawing—reveals a lot about the hierarchies within art and design of the period. Pencil drawings like this were, in some ways, a commodity, outsourced and produced efficiently in the studio for later, more ‘finished’ and ‘important’ works. It raises the question, doesn’t it: where does the value truly lie? Editor: That’s a fascinating point. So, even though Cipriani designed these panels, assistants or other hands may have actually executed aspects of it? Curator: Precisely. And think about the materials themselves—the pencil, the paper. Relatively inexpensive, mass-produced items enabling this system of artistic labor. The drawing is meant to guide the making of the actual panel. How does the intended final product influence the approach Cipriani took to the design, and the function of his drawing as a blueprint? Editor: I see, the final artwork is completely reliant on the value and commodification of labor and materials during the artistic process, to reach its goal. And looking at the detailed measurements noted, it seems very production-focused. Curator: Exactly. And that production reflects the social context - a burgeoning market for classically-inspired decoration aimed at an increasingly literate and wealthy elite. Consumption driving the engine of artistic creation. Editor: Wow, I never considered all those angles! Thinking about the labor and market really does change how I see this piece. Curator: It brings new richness, doesn’t it?