Silk-straw Reticule 1935 - 1942

Dolores Haupt made this drawing of a silk-straw reticule - or purse - at some point in the twentieth century. The colour palette is pastel-light, like a faded memory, and the mark-making is precise, almost forensic, as though she is building the object up cell by cell, thread by thread. There’s something lovely about the contrast between the soft, almost collapsing fabric at the top, and the rigid, basket-like weave of the body. If you look closely you can see that the top of the purse is adorned with a pink and a blue motif, each delicately embroidered with looping swirls and tiny dots. It’s incredible the way she’s captured the texture of the straw, so tactile you can almost feel the roughness against your fingertips, and how the tassel at the bottom anchors the whole piece, with its delicate strands. Haupt’s work reminds me of someone like Christina Ramberg, who also had a knack for rendering everyday objects, imbuing them with a sense of mystery and hidden meaning, elevating the mundane to the sublime. Ultimately, art is about looking closely, seeing the world anew, and celebrating the beauty in the ordinary.