Wall with Hunting Designs n.d.

Curator: Take a look at this drawing, titled "Wall with Hunting Designs." While undated, we attribute it to Grinling Gibbons. It's executed in ink, pencil, and graphite on paper. Editor: Huh. It reminds me of an abandoned movie set. All this ornate…scaffolding? Makes you wonder what kind of grand drama was meant to unfold. Curator: Indeed. This is likely a design for interior paneling, common in aristocratic houses during the late Renaissance. Gibbons was famous for intricate carving. This drawing probably precedes that physical labor. Editor: So, blueprints for the ridiculously wealthy? I like that we see the hunting motif echoed in little cameos at the top—reminds you who this is really *for.* And the single standing figure, he looks almost like an actor on stage. Curator: That single figure, set in its own framed recess, highlights the status and power associated with hunting, a sport traditionally restricted to the elite. Editor: You can just imagine the kind of lord who would want that above his fireplace! Curator: It's also about celebrating dominion over nature and the embodiment of strength and skill. Drawings such as this provided patrons with detailed visions before committing to lavish, time-consuming projects. Editor: Must have been an intimidating process, committing to such a vision… But if you were already Lord of the Manor, then it all must have been water off a duck's back. Curator: These sketches represent the intersection of art, design, and social standing, capturing not only an aesthetic, but also the values of the privileged during that era. Editor: Now that you've put the setting to it I appreciate it so much more. Almost feels like I was on location, but with the knowledge to tell that it's only the blueprint and all. The imagination still comes into it, in a strange and amazing way!