Fauteuil en stoel 1895 - 1935

Editor: This is “Fauteuil en stoel” by Léon Laroche, made sometime between 1895 and 1935. It looks like a study of chair designs, perhaps for a furniture maker? I’m struck by the delicacy of the line work, especially in rendering the fabric. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: It’s like stumbling upon a forgotten page from someone's design journal, isn't it? These chairs, floating on the aged paper, seem to whisper tales of salons and whispered conversations. I’m drawn to the almost ghostly presence of the objects, as if they are echoes rather than solid forms. Do you notice the implied prices? Perhaps these are catalogue drawings. The almost scientific detachment mixed with the undeniable elegance. It's like looking at a butterfly pinned in a display case—beautiful but removed from its natural context. Makes you wonder about the person who sketched them. Editor: That's a wonderful image! A butterfly, pinned. It does feel very detached. Almost like a study. But there’s definitely elegance there. I see the implied prices now, yes that moves it into catalogue territory. The scientific mixed with the artistic makes it intriguing. Was this common for design at the time? Curator: I think so, the intersection of industry and art. It makes me consider craft in the rise of industrial reproducibility, and that constant struggle between handmade and mass-produced objects... Which voice gets heard? Is this capturing or killing a moment? What do you think about that duality? Editor: It is a really good question to ponder! Especially within the timeframe it was created. It certainly gives the work another, more complex layer to think about. I initially saw it very simply, but now I can see so much more. Curator: Wonderful, isn't it? A humble sketch, quietly provoking thoughts about the soul of creation and mass production. It’s as if those chairs are still waiting to be built, existing in the potential of line and form. And perhaps, in our imaginations, they finally take shape.