Ontwerp voor een voetstuk of basement met een wapen c. 1760 - 1899

Luigi Valadier created this drawing for a pedestal with a coat of arms in the 18th century using graphite and paper. A symmetrical structure, the proposed design features a central axis that grounds the elaborate flourishes of Baroque ornamentation. The eye moves vertically from the scrolled feet upwards. The pedestal's curves are tempered by a horizontal plan that provides a resting place for a sculpture or bust. Valadier was instrumental in the shift towards Neoclassicism, but we see this Baroque design retains a commitment to ornamentation and dynamism. The pedestal's design employs what Ferdinand de Saussure would call a system of signs; the coat of arms centrally placed upon the stand, the scrolls evoking classical acanthus leaves, and the pedestal itself as a signifier of status, all point to the aesthetic language of power. Notice how the composition is poised between movement and stasis. This tension embodies how the visual arts operate in the realm of cultural discourse, where fixed meanings are constantly contested.