Vingerdoek van linnendamast met dessin Marguerite c. 1904

This is a linen damask cloth made by Cornelis van der Sluys. It is an object that is trying to be useful and beautiful at the same time. When I look at the cloth, I can see the artist in his studio thinking about nature, thinking about art, thinking about the future of design. The off-white images float on top of the beige like patterns, or decorations. The work reminds me of the work of William Morris, who produced many repeating patterns that were meant to be beautiful. Here, the artist is going for that beauty by creating an image of white marguerites and plantlike patterns. I'm drawn to the question of what an artist thinks about when creating a design. The cloth looks so fragile and delicate, it's as if it were made out of flowers and air. Artists look at each other's work, trying to glean the secrets of their designs.