Two Alternate Designs for a Doorway 1700 - 1780

This drawing shows two possible doorways, rendered with graphite on paper by an anonymous hand. While we don’t know the exact date of this piece, the style suggests it was conceived sometime in the 1700s. Notice the elegant flourishes topping the doorways and the confident draughtsmanship of the columns and plinths. Though this is a two-dimensional artwork, its subject is architecture, which is of course inherently concerned with three-dimensional materials. Stone and wood, carved by skilled labor, would have been necessary to realize these designs. In this light, the drawing can be understood as an important early stage in a longer process of making. The ornamental carving of these doorways would have been a highly specialized craft, requiring years of training. It is important to see this drawing as a window into a world of artisanal labor, where the design process itself was dependent on those skills. This worldview challenges our modern assumptions, where the design process is prioritized over the labor necessary for its realization.