Sokkels, kandelaar en balkonhek c. 1830 - 1850

Curator: This drawing, attributed to the Firma Feuchère and dating from around 1830 to 1850, presents detailed designs for pedestals, a candelabra, and balcony railings. Editor: The pale paper and delicate pencil lines create such a ghostly, almost ethereal feel, don’t they? Like architectural fantasies waiting to be built. Curator: Absolutely. Firma Feuchère was known for its exquisite metalwork during the height of the Neoclassical period, and this drawing perfectly encapsulates that aesthetic, doesn’t it? There's a clear embrace of symmetry and ornate details typical of the time. It suggests a yearning for a classical, almost romantic past. Editor: The question of whose past that was, becomes paramount here. This Neoclassical aesthetic was adopted by wealthy patrons as a form of cultural capital. But to whose exclusion? In some ways, it visually enacts historical erasures. The clean, perfect lines romanticize an idealized version of history that often leaves out so much struggle. Curator: I understand the tension you’re highlighting, but the sheer artistry still captures my imagination. I love getting lost in the curling acanthus leaves and those serene, almost stoic busts perched on top. It's like glimpsing into a world of imagined aristocratic splendour. I mean, imagine walking along that balcony railing? Editor: It is fascinating to see the detail—all executed with pencil on paper. I agree. But while beautiful, let’s not forget how architectural design in the 19th century was, like any other field, overwhelmingly dominated by male perspectives, effectively shaping public spaces through the lenses and needs of particular social elites. Curator: A useful point of critique. I find that it speaks, doesn’t it, of a very specific aspiration: that art has the capacity to elevate ordinary existence. Editor: And simultaneously obfuscate lived experience... I appreciate how thinking about these drawings forces a conversation between beauty, power and historical accountability.