Verdures du Vatican (set of two) 1794 - 1804

Curator: My eye is immediately drawn to how incredibly ornamental this piece is; it reminds me of patterns I’ve seen etched in my mind since childhood. Editor: That’s fascinating. We're looking at one of a pair of textile pieces known as "Verdures du Vatican," crafted sometime between 1794 and 1804 by Jean Démosthène Dugourc. Today, they reside here at the Metropolitan Museum. Curator: Textile? It's much more sculptural than I initially perceived. It looks like something to adorn a grand hall, exuding status and formal sophistication with its symmetry and intricate patterns. Editor: Exactly! It fits perfectly into the Romanticism and decorative-art styles, while the repeated geometric patterns give it a striking visual rhythm. Looking at its landscape scenes, I find myself thinking about nostalgia. Curator: Absolutely, you're on to something important there! Beyond the pleasant arrangement, these tapestries remind me of visual strategies adopted by royal houses to signify and claim power and authority over domains real and imagined, but here depicted in softened romantic hues. What does it evoke for you? Editor: Well, aside from that subtle historical and psychological complexity you suggest, I see pure ornamentation and echoes of classical ideals; maybe the very idea of Rome reimagined for an idyllic interior. Curator: Note how patterns of vegetation – flower garlands – are deliberately displayed and recall not just nature, but human capacity to order and tame it to please the eye… while those vase forms make explicit reference to Greek Classicism, which remains powerfully encoded in western memory as emblems of elegance and accomplishment. Editor: The birds too! Their symmetry gives the piece balance, almost suggesting harmony… even joy. Dugourc successfully combines formality with liveliness; the contrast works unexpectedly well. Curator: It's a remarkable synthesis, achieved with such detail and delicacy in the medium of textile art. Seeing such pieces in our museums preserves vital knowledge from bygone eras, knowledge embedded in their very construction and visual codes. Editor: And I think that this particular artwork invites one to look at the past anew through modern eyes… in a way offering comfort amidst changing times.