Le Kakatoès (The Cockatoo) (Furnishing Fabric) c. 1815

Editor: This is "Le Kakatoès," or "The Cockatoo," a furnishing fabric created around 1815 by Favre, Petitpierre et Cie. The whole scene feels pastoral and dreamlike. How do you interpret this work, with its detailed imagery on such a grand scale? Curator: The eye certainly delights in identifying recurring vignettes – a couple embracing, women tending children, cockatoos perched serenely. Think about the cockatoo itself; beyond its vibrant beauty, the bird symbolized exoticism and luxury to European eyes, especially in the early 19th century. What associations might people at that time have had? Editor: I hadn't considered the cockatoo itself as a symbol. Maybe it's about the allure of faraway places? Curator: Exactly. Now, see how these figures inhabit a rather idealized landscape, with a strange combination of French and exotic flora. What feeling does the landscape evoke in combination with these couples and domestic scenes? Editor: It feels a little like "happily ever after", almost as though this is paradise on Earth. It has some kind of historical weight. Curator: You’re right on the money! Paradise... an echo of a classical Eden perhaps but rendered with early industrial technology in the service of interior decoration. Can you imagine a parlor decked out with these panels? What conversation would it inspire? What statements does this artwork offer? Editor: It’s amazing to consider this fabric sparking conversations about the world back then. It feels like this fabric wasn’t only there to make rooms look fancy. Curator: Absolutely, each symbol carries echoes of cultural memory and aspirations. Every thread tells a story!