China Shelf, from Chippendale Drawings, Vol. II 1754

Curator: Well, I find this initial design both fussy and elegant at the same time. What is your first impression? Editor: Fussy, yes, but also oddly endearing. It's like a gothic pagoda had a baby with a bookcase. Sort of charmingly bonkers, isn't it? Curator: Bonkers is one word. Perhaps, forward thinking? This is "China Shelf," a print and drawing on paper created in 1754 by Thomas Chippendale, now held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: "China Shelf"…predictable title, though it does what it says on the tin, I suppose. Seriously, imagine trying to dust all those nooks and crannies! Though, I must admit, I am captivated by those geometric designs within the frame. Reminds me of intricate puzzles. Curator: Those geometric details really demonstrate Chippendale's brilliance. This was a time of great fascination with exotic styles and far-flung cultures, but also a period of expanding global trade and colonization. The "China Shelf," visually integrates neoclassicism, evident in the symmetry, with a kind of imagined “Chinese” style. It’s not strictly accurate, more a fantasy really. Editor: So, not really Chinese, but chinoiserie? I get it. Like the architectural equivalent of ordering Chinese takeaway in a Victorian mansion. So you are telling me that what strikes me as chaotic and individual is simply following convention. How disappointing! Curator: Well, conventions themselves communicate cultural values and power. Chippendale’s designs shaped British tastes, and what someone chose to display on their China Shelf advertised their worldliness and social position. The print available for a wide patronage promoted social ideals as much as aesthetic principles. Editor: I am always humbled by what objects communicate. A shelf isn't just a shelf; it's a stage for performing identity. Curator: Precisely. And it points towards our ever-evolving and complex relationship with global cultures through objects of design and consumption. Editor: Now I'm pondering what odd treasures I would display in my version of this bonkers bookcase! Thanks, as always, for making me think!