Panel c. 17th century

Editor: Here we have a woven panel from around the 17th century. It’s simply titled “Panel” and the artist is anonymous. I'm immediately struck by its formal symmetry and repetitive pattern, feels both calming and…strangely hypnotic. What sort of stories do you think this piece could tell, if it could talk? Curator: Ah, what tales it *would* weave, no pun intended! The Baroque loved this kind of rhythm – that balanced design reflecting order in a turbulent world. And these shapes, somewhat floral, perhaps stylized pomegranates… I can almost feel the maker finding solace in repetition, almost as a mantra in thread. Do you see how each 'leaf' cradles tiny, mirroring patterns? What might *they* evoke, I wonder? Editor: Yeah, the interior details almost look like faces staring back at you! And thinking of it as a mantra, I'm imagining someone repeating this pattern to ease their mind through difficult situations… or long workdays. So would it likely have been functional, like a wall hanging perhaps? Curator: Possibly a wall hanging, a fragment from something larger perhaps. Baroque loved visual excess, the impression of limitless abundance. Look how this little rectangle teems with miniature life! Perhaps the patron who commissioned this had aspirations as vast as the detail itself… though perhaps I’m letting my imagination run riot a little now. What feeling do you think it inspires? Editor: I definitely agree about the Baroque love for excess! I think you’re right - a wall hanging. Now I'm also seeing aspiration too! Something to gaze upon that inspired lofty thoughts... And I suppose before looking closely, I saw symmetry and balance, now I think it expresses excess. That changed quite rapidly! Curator: See how artworks hold infinite meanings! The more we ponder the greater insight we obtain and also... what it inspires in our emotions!