Page from a Scrapbook containing Drawings and Several Prints of Architecture, Interiors, Furniture and Other Objects 1795 - 1805

Curator: Ah, this page from a scrapbook—dating roughly from 1795 to 1805—contains drawings and prints by Charles Percier. We find architectural renderings, furniture sketches, and various other ornamental objects. The media ranges from pencil to print, all on paper. Editor: My first thought is "controlled chaos." It's a very organized mess. I feel like I’m peeking into the artist’s brain, at a moment when a whirlwind of ideas have crystallized just enough to catch them on paper, even though the overall view is quite fleeting. Curator: It gives us a sense of Percier’s design process, doesn't it? He was, after all, one of the leading architects and designers of the Neoclassical style in France. This is not just about individual objects, but also about the era's entire visual language being born through many experiments with patterns and designs. Editor: You see so much history; I mostly see the creative frenzy! All these delicate lines hint at objects poised to emerge fully realized. It feels like observing the Big Bang of an interior, when details like table legs and moldings exploded into being! It really allows for such personal interpretation, wouldn’t you say? Curator: Definitely! But beyond our interpretations, consider also the role of institutions. This page is carefully preserved here in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We must acknowledge the politics of display. What choices have been made by the museum over how and when these types of "minor" objects have risen into prominence? Editor: Yes, and seeing these pieces presented as "art," elevates a lot of everyday historical components to their rightful places in the world of art. Curator: Exactly. In truth, the "minor" things of history frequently inform its grand movements. I like that we're acknowledging that today, together. Editor: And me—I will never think about neoclassical interiors the same way again. The scraps gave an all new intimate look into that world!