Wall Elevation and Interior 1700 - 1800

Editor: This intriguing drawing, titled "Wall Elevation and Interior," comes from an anonymous artist between 1700 and 1800. It is crafted with pencil, pen and ink, and printed on paper. There's an incredible attention to detail. How would you approach interpreting this work? Curator: Well, let's think about this elevation not merely as representation but as a material object, a site of labor. Who was producing drawings like these, and for what purpose? It is important to remember that architecture isn’t only about design. Consider how drawings such as these were the means to produce elaborate interior decorations and displays, objects that demanded both natural resources and intense skilled labor, shaping society around its needs and comforts. Editor: So, you're less interested in the aesthetic beauty and more in the social processes of Baroque interior design? Curator: Precisely! Consider the materiality of the paper, the ink. The very production of such a drawing demanded access to specific resources and skillsets. And think of the consumption such design was to stimulate: The design proposes ornate decoration implying considerable investment in labour and luxury items from furniture and textiles to specialist sculptural work, for example. Editor: That makes sense. Looking at it as a proposal almost makes the drawing a tool, an instrument that is made and is also itself making. Curator: Exactly. Furthermore, how did this drawing then translate into a real space? What kind of labour did it involve? We might see this not as a mere plan, but as a complex set of material relationships being envisioned. Editor: This reframing completely shifts how I understand this drawing! I'm not just admiring the artistry, but also considering the wider material and labour network it represents. Curator: And understanding how consumption of luxurious Baroque interiors drove both creation and trade, the drawing serves as a critical tool for understanding its world.