Design for Ceiling, Château de St. Aubin 1850 - 1900

Curator: Here we have a "Design for Ceiling, Ch\u00e2teau de St. Aubin" created between 1850 and 1900, currently residing here at the Met. It's attributed to Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise, rendered with watercolor and print. Editor: My first thought? Calm horizontality. A restful rhythm. Like the gentle lapping of waves, if waves were made of luxurious wallpaper. Curator: Precisely! As a design, it shows a slice of high society's aesthetic pursuits. The château, of course, embodies power, and the ceiling—often overlooked—becomes a canvas to project wealth and refinement. This piece gives us insight into the domestic lives of aristocrats during the late 19th century. Editor: I love that you call it projecting wealth! The design itself is interesting. The bold bands are sort of interrupted by these flourishes, which stops the design from becoming severe. And look at the colors, the warm browns paired with cool blues creates such balance. Curator: Note the classical elements adapted into the decoration – stylized acanthus leaves and guilloche patterns, reworked through an aesthetic lens now influenced by industrialization and mass production, but in ways that maintains handcrafted qualities and historical referents. Editor: You can see the hand in it for sure. But still, knowing it's a design tempers my emotional response. It's meant to be duplicated. I wonder, how does that intention influence our perception of art? When it has to fit in and repeat itself, you know? It is about social status for that reason. I feel sad almost. Curator: Indeed, its inherent seriality marks the beginnings of democratized design...that many could aspire to that which only the few possessed is a key shift! Though its purpose might slightly dim personal expression, its replication and distribution amplified Lachaise's societal impact by embedding such classicizing designs within broader social consciousness. Editor: Fair enough. So perhaps, it is optimistic actually, in a subversive way? Maybe it allowed new visual relationships for non-aristocrats. To think it brought those "calm horizontal waves of wallpaper" to other places gives me a very hopeful feeling, like new doors being opened. Curator: An uplifting note on which to conclude. I came here eager to contextualize this design within societal hierarchies, while you revealed that it still ignites personal artistic vision! Editor: Funny, isn't it? We've landed somewhere wonderfully in between, where social statement blends seamlessly with pure imaginative fancy.