Titelblad: Desseins Pour embellir Les Chaises Roulantes c. 1680 - 1693

Curator: Well, isn't this a charmer! At first glance, it’s a flurry of baroque curlicues, like something that should be frosting a very elaborate cake. Editor: Indeed. What we’re seeing here is the title page of "Desseins Pour embellir Les Chaises Roulantes," or "Designs to Embellish Rolling Chairs," dating back to sometime between 1680 and 1693. It’s attributed to Alexis Loir, a print executed via engraving. Curator: “Rolling Chairs!” So, like… wheelchairs? Gussied-up wheelchairs? Editor: Precisely. Think of it as high Baroque meeting…accessibility. Note the symmetry: cherubs poised on globes, scrollwork, a crowned cartouche…It's an ode to the idea of form enhancing function, a popular philosophy for the period. Curator: I like how those cherubs are delicately balancing, like little winged acrobats showing off. And that central face—slightly melancholic, don’t you think? Is it there to remind us about the conditions that make a wheelchair necessary? Editor: It might. Faces such as that also represent classical virtues of the era. Remember, Baroque isn’t always about pure spectacle; often, embedded are subtle nods to philosophical ideas about human nature. Curator: Still, the extravagance seems a bit much. Aren't wheelchairs supposed to be… practical? Editor: It speaks to the mindset of the time. Consider that during the Baroque period, even the most functional objects were considered fair game for elaborate decoration as a statement of status, perhaps? It is a paradox - something for aiding physical restrictions embellished to be as freeing, maybe even liberating, as possible. Curator: So, an assertion of dignity and refinement, even—or perhaps especially—in the face of limitation. The details offer little stories and suddenly, it feels much deeper. Editor: Exactly. Images within images within intention. Every little symbol connects this piece to cultural ideas that run deeper than just the chair. Curator: I won’t lie. My mind still races back to thoughts of decorative frosting!