New Modelbüch (Page 8r) 1615

Editor: So, this is "New Modelbüch (Page 8r)," an engraving from 1615 by Andreas Bretschneider. It's filled with these delicate, almost symmetrical floral designs. What immediately strikes me is their repetition; they seem less like finished artworks and more like templates or blueprints. What do you make of that? Curator: The 'blueprint' observation is astute. This wasn’t conceived as high art, but as a pattern book. It embodies a direct relationship to craft production. The very material of the engraving - the metal plate, the labor to create it, the ability to reproduce it – all speaks to a burgeoning commercial system where design becomes democratized and disseminated. Editor: Democratized? In what way? Curator: These pattern books provided accessible designs for artisans—weavers, goldsmiths, embroiderers—effectively bypassing the traditional guild system's control over design. Think about the engraver: the skilled labour, time spent with the burin, all of this dedicated not to a singular art piece, but to the possibility of multiple future material iterations. The true art is then shifted. The skill now is its uptake; its incorporation, recreation, and reiteration into use. The agency is more readily gifted to consumers. Editor: That's interesting. I hadn’t considered the social impact of mass-producible design. Curator: Precisely. How do we value a page like this? Is it beautiful, or simply utilitarian? Does the inherent practicality reduce our appreciation for the work? Editor: It challenges the romantic ideal of the lone artist creating purely for expression. Now, I'm starting to think about this print's use: these forms reproduced countless times on textiles, metalwork. Each one carries the idea across social strata through commodities... fascinating. Curator: Exactly. Next time, consider how what is "real" art, is art after all, is in relation to use. Think: materials, methods and money!