Deur, deel van een betimmering uit het huis van Dentz van Schaick, gebeeldhouwde en ingelegde gestileerde bloem- en bladmotieven en dier- en figuurlijke voorstellingen c. 1900 - 1905

This carved and inlaid door, now in the Rijksmuseum, was made by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet. You can almost feel the artist’s presence, hovering, making decisions. It's a functional object, but the craftsmanship is what catches my eye. I can imagine Lion Cachet carefully selecting each piece of wood, thinking about the contrast between the dark panels and the lighter inlays. The carved details of the stylized flowers and leaves create a kind of ghostly halo effect, framing the abstract shapes in the center. I wonder, what was Lion Cachet thinking? Was he riffing off folk traditions, or the stylized motifs of the Arts and Crafts movement? The care that has gone into the material—the texture and sheen of the wood—it's speaking to me. It is through all these many and various forms that artists speak to one another across time and place.