Design for a ceiling paianted in filagree patterns 1830 - 1897

Editor: This is "Design for a ceiling painted in filagree patterns," an undated drawing and print attributed to Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise, housed at the Met. The cool blues and precise geometry give it a surprisingly calm feel. What story do you think this ceiling design tells? Curator: I see it as a reflection of the evolving relationship between art, power, and public spaces in the 19th century. The academic style, with its rigid symmetry and delicate ornamentation, was often used in spaces intended to project authority, to impress upon those within them a sense of order and permanence. Where might this ceiling design have been placed? Editor: Somewhere grand, perhaps a government building, or a very wealthy home? Somewhere intended to impress, like you said. Do you think this kind of art really influenced the public? Curator: Absolutely. Consider how these designs were propagated – through architectural publications, displays in galleries, and, of course, in the buildings themselves. These designs shape collective understanding of beauty, sophistication, and ultimately, what society valued. The politics of display mattered immensely. Who was meant to have access to this aesthetic? Editor: That's fascinating. I guess I hadn't considered how deliberately art like this would have been used to communicate power and ideals. Curator: Indeed. And reflecting on it now, what do we learn about our current values when these old spaces are preserved or altered? Editor: I see what you mean. This piece prompts questions about what spaces and designs *we* choose to preserve and elevate today.