Design with Dancers in a Cartouche 1800 - 1900

This drawing of dancers in a cartouche was made with pen and brown ink, with brush and gray wash, over black chalk. You can tell the anonymous artist was concerned with surface embellishment, and with the traditional fine art technique of drawing as a medium for presenting a world of leisure. The gray wash is delicately worked to bring out the forms of the dancing figures, offset by the pen lines describing the surrounding foliate scrolls and garlands. The drawing probably served as a design for a tapestry or another form of luxury textile; a commodity to be consumed by those in a position to enjoy the dance. The anonymous maker was likely employed within a highly structured workshop, producing designs on demand. It’s interesting to consider the contrast between the refined scene of aristocratic leisure, and the more workaday reality of producing such images. What might the designer have thought about the people who would eventually enjoy the tapestry? Considering the labor involved in making this work, we begin to understand its full significance, and its connection to the wider world of social relations.