Design for Wall Paneling, Deepdene, Dorking, Surrey 1875 - 1879

Editor: Here we have Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise's "Design for Wall Paneling, Deepdene, Dorking, Surrey," created between 1875 and 1879. It's a delicate drawing rendered in watercolor, boasting fine lines. I'm immediately struck by its rather restrained palette; it evokes a sense of stately home, but one almost yearning for spring. What stands out to you? Curator: Ah, yes, it’s that fascinating push and pull between formality and fancy. It's so much more than just a plan for pretty walls. You know, I sometimes think of these drawings as ghosts of rooms that never were. Lachaise’s design feels caught between eras. The strong lines hint at neoclassicism, don't they? A kind of return to order? But there is a whisper of the decorative arts movement fluttering throughout it as well. A bit like someone humming a stately sonata but humming it to a slightly different beat. Tell me, what is your eye drawn to? Editor: The little winged creature, it's so playful amid all the rigid geometry! I think without it, the paneling might feel quite austere. Curator: Exactly! It is the heart beating amidst a very controlled pulse, wouldn’t you agree? These designs let us glimpse a particular moment, one teetering on a shift from serious neoclassicism to something more… playful. More human, perhaps. It's about control, but there is freedom nestled inside it! What's our take away? Editor: I suppose it makes me reconsider decorative arts – they are just as valuable a window into cultural change as the "high arts.” Curator: Beautifully put! I am glad we looked at Lachaise’s lovely echo together today.