Gothic Window Traceries, Tewkesbury; Tomb (verso) 1800 - 1900

Curator: Let's examine this work entitled, "Gothic Window Traceries, Tewkesbury; Tomb (verso)." Created sometime between 1800 and 1900, it’s currently held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The artist remains anonymous. It is executed with drawing, print and watercolor. Editor: Immediately, the delicate linework and soft washes evoke a sense of faded grandeur, like a ghost of monumental architecture captured on paper. It has a fragile quality to it. Curator: The technique really emphasizes the architectural forms. Note how the linear precision serves to highlight the intricate geometry within each window design. We see different window tracery styles and labels. We get "North Transepts Aisle of Nave", "Choir" and "East End of Choir" along with the namesake of "Tewkesbury." Editor: Absolutely. Those repeating pointed arches and the complex floral motifs - particularly that bottom right circular window – they speak volumes about the aspirations of the builders, and perhaps a spiritual yearning channeled through architectural form. The upward momentum in those lines carries so much hope. Curator: Don't you find it interesting to think about the labour involved in designing, crafting, and documenting something like Gothic windows? Think of the physical work that goes into shaping the stones... and what is captured in this work, a depiction with readily available materials. The drawings help us think about the production process. Editor: True. Beyond the craft itself, I see a world striving for harmony, for divine connection, for an idealized form expressed materially. The tomb mentioned in the title even reinforces notions of memory and legacy embedded in this location, perhaps. Curator: I see it also from a more mundane perspective. Drawings like this were also crucial for planning and funding major construction efforts. It emphasizes materiality and social-economical background for the windows designs we admire in-situ today. Editor: I think it is this ability to spark different angles on these shapes that ultimately elevates the significance. Curator: Well said. I think this gives us a lot to think about next time when facing similarly themed works!