Large Strapwork Pendant with Two Hangers as Earrings at Left and Right 

Editor: This is "Large Strapwork Pendant with Two Hangers as Earrings at Left and Right," an engraving by Daniel Mignot. It feels like something out of a fantastical jewelry catalog. All these lines create this elaborate, almost architectural form, but it's for a pendant! What strikes you most about this design? Curator: Ah, strapwork! Imagine intricate leather strips, architectural flourishes rendered delicate, portable, wearable! What Mignot offers is more than just ornamentation; it's aspiration turned ink. Look closely: those hanging pendants? Miniature worlds dangling, reflecting status and perhaps even a hint of personal mythology. I’m seeing Baroque extravagance trying to shake hands with a clean, almost proto-modern sensibility. Almost a meditation of sorts: how much is too much? Editor: A meditation, really? It seems so declarative. I wonder what kind of person would commission such a piece? Curator: Perhaps someone teetering on the edge of societal acceptance, desperate to proclaim their affluence *and* artistry simultaneously. You know, “Look at my breeding, and my *wit*.” And let’s face it, those ribbons at the top…they don’t just suspend the pendant, they practically *announce* it! Have you considered, however, the relative visual restraint within that complexity? Is that tension not intriguing? Editor: I suppose I was too distracted by the bling to consider its balance! Seeing it as this controlled tension is fascinating. I initially saw opulence, but now, this feels more considered. Curator: Precisely! Art always invites-- or rather, demands -- a second glance, doesn't it? It’s a flirtation, you see, an offering of ever more nuanced readings as your experience expands. What a gift, really!