Ontwerp voor een glas-in-loodvenster c. 1901

Curator: Looking at this, I immediately think about craft traditions meeting formal architectural design. It's incredibly ordered, and yet it gives a real impression of lightness. Editor: This is "Ontwerp voor een glas-in-loodvenster", or "Design for a stained-glass window", made around 1901 by Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof. You can see it in the Rijksmuseum collection. What interests me here are Dijsselhof's choices—ink and paper, traditional materials elevated in this art nouveau context. Curator: Definitely. It speaks to the social shift towards valuing applied arts. This piece bridges fine art and design. Think about the labor involved, too – both Dijsselhof's and that of the craftspeople who would bring it to life in glass and lead. Who would commission a stained glass piece like this? How was it meant to function within that setting, both aesthetically and practically? Editor: Its public function certainly informed its design. Dijsselhof belonged to a generation grappling with ideas of national identity and artistic expression. The window becomes more than just decoration; it's a statement of cultural values meant for public consumption, almost propaganda. The way it was viewed then and its social purpose within the context in which it was intended adds additional information to its place now. Curator: And those geometric lines themselves. This almost seems industrial with the mechanical rhythm. Were these designs commissioned and created during a particular boom period? A building spree? Editor: I imagine a patron displaying their progressive tastes but in the home or building project's framework as they seek prestige through what is effectively the production of modern goods. But let us also be careful about the limitations. The labor practices, especially considering class divides. The symbolism chosen represents more than a purely aesthetic taste and communicates something significant. Curator: Absolutely. Seeing it in that light reframes it. Thank you for that. Editor: Likewise! It enriches our experience to place these pieces within that social narrative.