Ontwerp voor een sieraad 1874 - 1932

This is Mathieu Lauweriks’ “Ontwerp voor een sieraad,” or “Design for a Jewel,” an undated pencil drawing on paper. Lauweriks was a Dutch architect, designer, and educator, whose career spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Lauweriks was deeply influenced by mathematical and geometric principles. He believed that underlying geometric structures could bring harmony and order to design. His work can be seen in the context of the early 20th century, a period marked by significant social and cultural shifts. As industrialization progressed, many artists and designers sought to respond to what they saw as the dehumanizing effects of mass production. There was a desire to return to more humanistic values. This design reflects the era’s search for meaning and order amidst the changing social landscape. The jewel’s form and structure, rendered meticulously by hand, contrasts with the mass-produced objects that defined the era. Lauweriks offers us a quiet, intimate moment of reflection on the values we assign to beauty, order, and the human touch.