Fem studier af en stående dames sko 1745 - 1802

Curator: My first thought is…studies for Cinderella's glass slippers! It's a pencil drawing by Jens Juel, dating from around 1745 to 1802, titled "Fem studier af en stående dames sko" which translates to "Five studies of a standing lady’s shoes.” Editor: Five dreams of shoes, perhaps! It feels whimsical, almost ghostly. I'm getting a light, airy, and definitely incomplete impression. The hazy execution has a lovely nostalgic air, like sifting through old memories. Curator: The shoes themselves certainly whisper of a certain era, wouldn’t you agree? With their delicate heels and dainty straps, they evoke the 18th century. Shoes in art have always been associated with journeys, but they also hint at societal structures of identity and status, which were so carefully constructed at that time. Editor: Journeys and structures...absolutely! There's something terribly fascinating about these shoe studies, though. Look how each angle subtly reveals something more than just fashion – perhaps the character, profession or aspiration of their absent owner. Curator: Shoes have been potent symbols throughout history, from the humble sandal to the ornate slipper. What's so compelling here is their presence as fragments. Instead of the full portrait, we are left to assemble who might have owned, coveted or designed the footwear. Editor: A shoe's silent language is captivating. I mean, think of fairytales – from glass slippers to ruby slippers - and the journeys that become associated with specific objects or garments. Curator: And we haven’t even spoken of the Freudian undertones associated with footwear… or, in the visual vocabulary of portraits, shoes representing travel, emigration, or a connection to earthly existence... There is a cultural lexicon embedded here. Editor: I love that: A cultural lexicon. It elevates such humble objects to something really profound. Now I can't help imagining the sound of heels clicking on cobblestones, setting off on untold journeys. These shoes certainly hold their secrets. Curator: Precisely! And even in sketch form, we can almost intuit their wear and the very personality of the one who filled them. They whisper stories if we listen closely.