Twee rijtuigen, een gedrapeerde doek en een gestoffeerde kist 1817

This is a drawing by Pietro Ruga of two carriages, a draped cloth and an upholstered chest. The medium, ink on paper, is a humble one, a stark contrast to the luxurious objects depicted. Look closely, and you'll see a world of specialized labor contained within these simple lines: the wheelwright who made the carriage wheels, the leather workers who tooled the seats, the weavers who produced the textiles. The very rich network of artisans who would have been involved in the making of just one of these status symbols is here collapsed into a single image. These careful drawings were probably made to show a client what they could expect from commissioning these goods. In their crisp lines, we can appreciate the elegance sought after by the elite. But perhaps we can also see a trace of the many hands that brought these designs to life. The drawing represents the ideal of luxury, but also hints at the extensive workforce required to create it.