Pompeiian Design for Paneling 1850 - 1900

Curator: Look at this, a study for paneling in the Pompeiian style, attributed to Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise. It dates sometime between 1850 and 1900. It's a watercolor drawing and print. Editor: It's soothing in a very formal way. The muted tones, the strict lines...it evokes a sort of idealized domesticity. Almost like looking at an architect’s dream through sepia-tinted glasses. Curator: Yes! That Neoclassical aspiration. Notice the geometric patterns? Those motifs weren’t just decorative; they resonated with values of order and rationality that architects of that era wanted to see reflected in every home, and indeed, in society at large. That brown – an unusual earthy shade – does suggest grounding too. Editor: And the waves and fan-like structures have a deeper connection to our memories. I wonder if it is tied to the rise in classical revival. They harken back to images, and emotions related to abundance. Were people drawn to those ideas during times of great shift or social upheaval? Curator: That’s precisely what makes these types of renderings so significant. Beyond their aesthetic value, they speak to the collective psyche of a society, its yearning for balance, simplicity. Editor: Exactly! It makes you question your space. This design does have a sense of serenity with those small recurring motifs, especially when they become connected in that band and grounded above a solid shape, almost a calming horizon. You'd feel at ease. Curator: There's a funny thing: imagining that design as an environment really feels a bit austere for modern tastes. But there’s undeniable beauty in that restraint, especially as realized through Lachaise’s precise hand. Editor: This piece, then, serves as a blueprint of feelings—a nostalgic desire wrapped up in shape, colour and intention—perfect for bringing this memory into our spaces.