Ontwerp voor een tapijt c. 1854 - 1864

This carpet design was created by an anonymous artist, and rendered in watercolor and ink. The medium itself is a clue, as this artwork is not the carpet itself, but a painted design for a carpet, most likely intended to be made in wool. Consider the labour involved in the production of such a carpet, which would have demanded the skills of weavers, dyers, and those who prepared the raw wool, a significant enterprise of collective labour. And given the quality of this design, it's likely that the finished product would have been destined for a wealthy client, or even royalty. The artist seems to have appreciated the density of patterning that could be achieved through the woven medium, but also to have been concerned to control its appearance through this preliminary design. And this gets to the heart of the matter, thinking about distinctions between art and craft. The artist of this carpet prioritizes the design. However, it's important to remember the work's material qualities and the many hands involved in its making, as well as the social context in which it was created, to grasp its full significance.