Sofa met rookvat 1745 - 1775

Editor: Here we have "Sofa met rookvat," an etching and engraving on paper from sometime between 1745 and 1775 by an anonymous artist, currently held in the Rijksmuseum. The sofa looks incredibly ornate. It also looks incredibly uncomfortable. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Beyond the immediate impression of rococo excess, I see an object deeply embedded in the history of trade, colonialism, and evolving European tastes. The phrase "en forme d'Ottomane" gives us a starting point. What does it mean for a sofa to be 'Ottoman' in style in 18th-century France? Editor: It seems to be referring to something beyond just physical design, more about how the sofa relates to broader cultural exchange. Curator: Exactly. It suggests an appropriation and reimagining of Eastern motifs to cater to Western audiences, hinting at complex power dynamics at play. We see this 'orientalism' throughout decorative arts, but here it manifests in an object meant for private, domestic space. So, how does this kind of decorative borrowing affect society’s ideas about other cultures? Editor: It kind of boils them down to an aesthetic, doesn’t it? It strips the original cultural object of all its cultural meaning, only keeping its decorative function for the people who adopt it. Curator: Precisely. These aren't passive borrowings. These trends helped establish a hierarchy where Europe became the arbiter of taste, defining and reinterpreting other cultures through its own lens. The "rookvat" or incense burner atop this sofa further exemplifies this appropriation and signals the globalization of trade networks during this period. So what new perspective do we have on our current cultural appropriation issues from this view? Editor: I never considered furniture could be so deeply entwined with such power dynamics! I'll certainly look at museum furniture differently from now on. Curator: And understanding those entanglements is the first step towards a more nuanced understanding of the historical forces that shaped our world.