Design for a Candlestick 18th century

Curator: This is a preparatory drawing, a design for a candlestick, likely dating to the 18th century. It is part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's rendered in pen and print on paper, demonstrating the linear and decorative elements so characteristic of the Baroque style. Editor: I’m struck by its fragility, how ethereal the lines are against the paper. There's something almost tentative about the whole thing. Was it common to preserve even the rough sketches back then? Curator: Indeed, preserving these kinds of drawings offer us insight into the creative process of the artisan and designer, which is often shaped by their socioeconomic realities. They tell us much about workshop practices and how artisans marketed themselves within guilds or court patronage systems, revealing a clear hierarchical dynamic within decorative arts. Editor: So it functioned both as an aesthetic vision, and a means for marketing within the social structure of the time? It seems inherently intertwined with its potential commercialisation. The flourishing ornamentation strikes me as communicating ideas around access and opulence. Curator: Absolutely. The flamboyance would communicate the patron's elevated position within society, but on a practical level these designs offered choices within what the workshop could provide. Moreover, this also reminds me that even the seemingly innocuous decorative arts played a key role in disseminating and cementing existing social orders. The candlestick would occupy space within an interior, silently affirming power relations and artistic value determined at the time by wealthy individuals and families. Editor: Seeing it through that lens, the 'decorative' quality is really doing a lot of work, ideologically speaking! This isn’t just about illumination but making very specific statements of power. Thanks, that perspective is thought provoking. Curator: My pleasure. Reflecting on these artworks really highlights how deeply entrenched social, political and cultural dynamics have always been within what we consume.