Ontwerp voor een wandbekleding en schoorsteenmantel 1874 - 1945

This design for wall covering and a mantelpiece was made by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, using pen and watercolour. I wonder how Lion Cachet felt when he was making this. Was it a free-wheeling act or was it all mapped out in advance? I imagine him making marks, one by one, in a slow, meditative process with the pen scratching on the paper. The application of watercolour feels more whimsical – flowing intuitively from one colour to the next, filling in the space, creating a rich tapestry of golden hues. The detailed floral patterns and arched motifs feel so personal, like a kind of coded language. It reminds me of William Morris, who was also really interested in decorative arts and design. What is decoration anyway, but another way of thinking? I wonder what other conversations were happening at the time and how Cachet was inspired by the artists who came before him?