Schetsboek met 41 bladen

Curator: Here we have a sketchbook, one of 41 sheets, by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet. It dates from sometime between 1874 and 1945. Editor: It's incredibly unassuming at first glance. Almost austere in its presentation. The marbled cover gives it a somber, antiquated feel. Curator: Given Cachet's interest in design and his work in various applied arts, from furniture to textiles, I wonder about the role this object played. Was it a simple repository for sketches, or something more integral to his creative process—perhaps even a source book? Editor: Look at the texture. That speckled pattern on the cover, combined with the visible wear, suggests it was handled extensively. Perhaps carried around, taken to workshops? It’s far from a pristine object. The evidence of its use becomes the point, more than a static decorative surface. Curator: Exactly! It raises questions about artistic labour, about how design ideas were developed and circulated at the time. Consider, too, the mixed media – paper combined with drawing, possibly watercolor. These were relatively accessible materials. The sketchbook implies a level of practicality and resourcefulness in Cachet's work. This was not an artist aloof from everyday production. Editor: It definitely disrupts any neat divide between "high art" and the crafts. By foregrounding the sketchbook as a workspace, we can read the relationship between conception and construction, particularly how Cachet blends different material processes. Curator: I agree, and analyzing this object moves us beyond an isolated artwork to consider the broader context of art-making in his time. How did it impact the system of workshops and the accessibility to design knowledge, and was his art just a commodity in these settings? Editor: Indeed, its very format invites exploration. Thanks for framing it from a wider lens, reminding us to go beyond the surface. Curator: It does make one appreciate what an un-precious item this is. We tend to put art in hallowed places but forget the daily labor that gets one there.