Lion, départ de rampe en pierre pour en escalier monumental. Tortues, carreaux grès. Canards et iris, tenture pour chambre d’enfant. 1897

Editor: So, here we have "Lion, départ de rampe en pierre pour en escalier monumental. Tortues, carreaux grès. Canards et iris, tenture pour chambre d’enfant" by Maurice Pillard Verneuil, dating from 1897. It looks to be a mixed media piece with drawing, print and graphic elements. The drawing is of a lion, and is juxtaposed against prints of turtles, ducks, and floral decorations in the background. There’s a somewhat dreamlike, whimsical quality to the scene; it’s both classical and modern in its feel. How would you interpret this piece? Curator: Dreamlike is the word, isn't it? It makes me think about what it means to dwell in a space. Verneuil juxtaposes motifs --a carved lion panel from the foot of a grand staircase, a frieze of turtles and ducks, and children's wallpaper to ask "Where is home"? I’m wondering what this piece has to say about how we define ‘grand’ versus ‘domestic’ space? The animals look like they are marching around Noah’s Ark, just a procession of species heading toward the big storm. Do you get that sense? Editor: That’s fascinating! I hadn't thought about that grand versus domestic theme. The Noah's Ark angle is interesting, considering the decorative arts context and the wallpaper print, especially that there is wallpaper printed with fowl! But who are these animals headed home to, exactly? Curator: Right, I keep asking myself the same thing. Are they going home to the *future*? Verneuil, you see, was very preoccupied by a single thought – and this one is so simple that it can sometimes blind you. You'll wonder how you never saw it. Everything can always be made anew. If it is terrible, it can be changed; If it is wonderful, it will shift anyway, but maybe in a slightly different direction, that can still please you. Editor: That's beautifully put. It definitely reframes the image for me – from something historical to a message about the ever-changing world we create around us. Curator: Exactly. Now tell me you don’t feel lighter about this image! Editor: I really do. Thanks for illuminating it for me.