Ontwerp voor een hanger met viooltjes, van geëmailleerd goud met een opaal c. 1905

Curator: Look at this delightful design, dating to around 1905; it’s a watercolour drawing on paper titled “Ontwerp voor een hanger met viooltjes, van geëmailleerd goud met een opaal” by Paul Louchet. The proposed pendant is rendered in great detail using both watercolour and touches of ink. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It strikes me as incredibly delicate, almost ephemeral. You can really see the level of skill required to represent the reflective quality of the enamel and opalescent gems using watercolor alone. There's a tension, isn't there, between the fragility of the rendering and the opulent materials the design specifies: gold, opal, enamel… Curator: Precisely. Let's consider this within its Art Nouveau context. The violet motif is no accident; flowers became symbolic shorthands, laden with significance about femininity and societal roles at the turn of the century. We need to look at the construction and constraints involved for a female during this time period, and how even jewelry can represent these constraints. Editor: That’s insightful, especially considering the violet’s associations with modesty and hidden virtues. Yet, zooming into the imagined piece, you get a feel for how meticulously crafted such jewelry demanded – how was enameled gold brought to life then, versus the industrialization rapidly changing consumerism? I wonder who this necklace was meant for? Curator: Possibly intended as a gift? Remember, jewelry frequently performed social labor, signaling relationships or affirming social standing. The combination of violet and opal especially suggests an interesting confluence of symbolic language reflecting back on issues around sexuality. Editor: The craftsmanship is at the core of what draws me in, and it’s key to note the process involved to appreciate such luxury, the extraction and processing of materials, the highly skilled artisan labor. This piece provides entry into many labor conversations—who was crafting and what can we infer? Curator: A worthwhile insight! Overall, reflecting on the intersections here makes it obvious we need to expand access to historical interpretation. There are many factors at play and more narratives to tell and discover surrounding luxury design during the Art Nouveau movement. Editor: Yes! Bringing it back to material reality grounds us, acknowledging the labor and processes – what truly allows beauty to take shape. There's much more here when process comes to the front of the stage.