Schetsboek met 16 bladen c. 1780 - 1800

Editor: We are looking at “Sketchbook with 16 pages” made around 1780-1800 by Barend Hendrik Thier. It's a mixed-media drawing on paper, and immediately the patterned cover evokes for me a sense of old world craftsmanship, almost like a textile. What catches your eye about it? Curator: Oh, absolutely, I see that textile quality too. I find it charming – almost disarmingly simple, yet possessing a quiet complexity. This marbled paper whispers of another era. It makes me think of artisans meticulously crafting each sheet. One wonders what secrets these pages held; the seeds of ideas and stories, wouldn't you say? It's not high art but functional, humble. What do you think of that ruby spine? Editor: I do! The spine is intriguing, it frames the piece. In this period, would a sketchbook like this have been common, like our notebooks today? Curator: Yes, definitely for those inclined to record and sketch—but this binding isn't utilitarian: those colors elevate this above common. Imagine Thier filling it with impressions, a personal journey laid out in ink and graphite. Perhaps it was a memento or gift. That thought delights me. Does knowing this perhaps alter how you see the sketchbook now? Editor: It does actually. It’s not just paper; it is almost like a family album now – thank you for sharing that perspective! Curator: My pleasure! I see you’re understanding how a humble, practical object, like this sketchbook, reveals the beauty of everyday life in times gone by!