Metrage lint van zwart zijden gaas, met ingeweven horizontale lijnen c. 1900

This is a length of black silk gauze ribbon with woven horizontal lines by Gustav Schnitzler. Notice how the horizontal lines create a visual rhythm, dividing the fabric into distinct bands. The interplay between the sheer gauze and the solid lines introduces a tension between opacity and transparency, flatness and depth. These aren't simply decorative; they structure our perception, guiding the eye across the surface. Consider the texture and materiality. The silk gauze has a delicate, almost ethereal quality, while the woven lines provide a grounding element. The structure invites us to consider how the ribbon functions as both a material object and a carrier of meaning. It destabilizes our assumptions about textiles as merely functional items, presenting them instead as carriers of artistic expression. This play of light and shadow, transparency and opacity, engages with broader philosophical questions about perception and representation. The ribbon's formal qualities challenge fixed ideas about the line between art and craft.