Handschoen van ambassadeur Allard Merens c. 1945 - 1976

Here we have a pair of gloves. I'm thinking about the artisan and the repetitive nature of their craft, like a painter making marks on a canvas – each stitch, each cut, a deliberate act. It’s the kind of labor that demands patience, precision, and a deep understanding of the material. I wonder what it was like to work with this material, the creamy leather, feeling its texture, and shaping it to fit a hand, a hand of power, I imagine. The lines across the gloves remind me of brushstrokes, intentional and confident. There is a conversation between the maker and the material here. It reminds me of other artisans and craftspeople whose work has blurred the boundaries between fine art and functional design – each influencing and enriching the other. This piece feels timeless, speaking to the ongoing human impulse to create, to shape, and to imbue the everyday with beauty and meaning.