Omslag bij brieven van Matthijs Maris aan Felix Stone Moscheles c. 1890 - 1920

This cover for letters, by an anonymous maker, is something to behold with its aged patina. The texture is so interesting, like a memory slowly fading. Looking at it, I imagine the maker carefully tooling the leather, pressing those art nouveau lines into the surface. The gold leaf shimmering against the brown, like hidden thoughts in an old book. See how the design isn’t quite symmetrical, with an almost gothic vibe? It's as if the artist was playing with the tension between order and chaos, not unlike Gustav Klimt’s work, which embraces ornament and symbolism in equal measure. I love how the wear and tear tell a story of their own. Art is always in conversation, echoing across time. It's about ideas, of course, but also about materials, gestures, and the endless possibilities that open up when we let go of control.