Two Variant Designs for the Interior of a Room, Decorated with Porcelains, Fireplace in Center, and With the Doorways at Either Side 1700 - 1800

This ink and wash drawing presents two design options for an interior, complete with doorways, a central fireplace, and decorative porcelain. Created by an anonymous artist, its origins speak to a time when interior design was rapidly evolving, mirroring shifts in social status and taste. The ornate details of the fireplace and surrounding decor highlight a culture deeply invested in displays of wealth and refinement. But think about who these rooms were *not* designed for. Who was excluded from these spaces? Were the enslaved people who stoked the fire and kept these grand houses running ever invited to sit in front of it? The highly structured, almost symmetrical design suggests a desire for order. But it also hints at the rigid social hierarchies that defined the lives of those who inhabited, and were excluded from, these spaces. The drawing is not just a design; it is a historical artifact that invites us to reflect on how spaces shape, and are shaped by, societal power dynamics.