Ontwerp voor een peper-en-zoutstel 1874 - 1932

Curator: We’re looking at “Ontwerp voor een peper-en-zoutstel,” a design for a salt and pepper shaker by Mathieu Lauweriks, likely created between 1874 and 1932. It’s a pen, ink, and pencil drawing with a delightful art nouveau flavor. Editor: Well, it’s giving me serious "doodle in the margins during a very long meeting" vibes. It’s all over the place, a jumble of stuff, yet somehow pleasing? Curator: That 'jumble,' as you call it, is crucial. Lauweriks was deeply influenced by geometric systems and theosophy. The positioning and overlapping of shapes can be read as his commentary on the intersection of geometry, function, and symbolism within functional, domestic objects. Editor: Okay, I can see that. But you know, when I look at the salt and pepper shaker itself, I’m struck by its vulnerability. The sketchy lines, the almost-candles, they seem so delicate. It feels like a dream of an object rather than a blueprint. The added arithmetic feels playful. I bet this was created at his house rather than the design studio. Curator: Precisely! And there’s something subtly radical about that vulnerability. Consider the Art Nouveau movement as a whole. Its artists and designers pushed back against industrial mass production by emphasizing handcrafted, unique objects, in the way of the Arts and Crafts movement. Here, that resistance comes through in the fragility of the drawing, foregrounding the artistic gesture of design. Editor: I see your point! It’s like a little act of rebellion sketched onto a scrap of paper. I love the feeling that you could make something beautiful from humble elements, especially with just pencil and pen! Curator: Ultimately, it’s in these acts of intimate creation that we find Lauweriks’ vision of merging aesthetics and everyday life – demonstrating how beauty and design were not the reserve of grand objects. Editor: Totally. Looking at it again, I realize I want a salt and pepper shaker that looks exactly like this!