Copies after the 'Livre contenant passement de moresques' (plate 8) 1800 - 1900

Curator: Oh, look at this captivating engraving! It's a later copy after plate 8 of Jacques Androuet Du Cerceau's “Livre contenant passement de moresques,” created sometime between 1800 and 1900. Editor: Immediately, it's mesmerizing – a filigree of intertwining lines. Feels almost hypnotic, like staring into a complex daydream. And are those tiny figures nestled within the pattern? Curator: Exactly! The original "Livre contenant passement de moresques" was a pattern book of designs for use by artisans, and this plate showcases the influence of Islamic art, especially its abstract and geometric ornamentation, during the Renaissance and after. These kinds of books were critical for circulating design ideas across Europe, shaping decorative trends for centuries. Editor: So, less about high art, and more about functional beauty designed to inspire craftspeople. It makes me think about the power dynamics implicit in the dissemination of imagery – the high artist appropriating forms, and then mediating those forms for consumption across social strata. Curator: Absolutely! And what's also fascinating is how these "copies after" play a role. They demonstrate the sustained interest in these designs. Copies meant this book wasn't a fleeting trend; it was a lasting resource for artists. Editor: It also strikes me how the rigidity of the print medium lends this organic design a unique feeling of ordered chaos. I can get lost in it so easily but realize that it's organized on a simple symmetry, almost like a Rorschach ink blot! It prompts introspection. Curator: That balance, or tension, between structure and organic form really encapsulates so much about the role of ornamentation in culture. It hints at the impulse to control nature, or perhaps to find its mathematical soul. Editor: I appreciate knowing that this intricate image I first viewed as personally expressive was part of such a politically loaded process of stylistic adoption and commercial distribution! Curator: These dialogues really open my eyes to these complex relations between pattern, power, and enduring aesthetic inspiration!