Process. Design Drawings from the Rijksmuseum 1500–1900

The objets d’art and furniture that are depicted in these drawings were the everyday companions of the dignitaries who commissioned them, whether to adorn their own homes or religious buildings. Today they bear witness to the European way of life between the Renaissance and the beginning of the nineteenth century. Although these drawings are for the most part anonymous, they occasionally reveal the hand of a known artist – cabinetmaker, goldsmith, sculptor or painter – or can be attached to his studio. Erasmus Quellinus I (1584-1640), Baldassare Franceschini (1611-1690), Daniel Marot (1661-1752), Gilles-Marie Oppenord (1672-1742), Luigi Valadier (1726-1785), Jean-Démosthène Dugourc (1749-1825), Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887), Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (1814-1879) and René Lalique (1860-1945) are some of the great names represented in this exhibition.

Divided into twelve themed chapters, the drawings are examined in terms of their relationship to the works of art they represent. They play a crucial role in the design, manufacture and, indeed, the commercialisation of these pieces. The different stages in the conceptualisation and execution of an object involve a whole series of people: artists/designers, craftsmen and specialised artisans, but also potential buyers and patrons. These protagonists found visual support in the drawings, which were essential for their exchanges and negotiations. The exhibition allows the visitor to discover the different functions of these designs for the decorative arts, to assess the role played by each of the protagonists and to examine the use they made of these drawings.

The exhibition is organised in collaboration with the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, and was presented at the Design Museum Den Bosch in ‘s-Hertogenbosch from 5 November 2022 to 12 February 2023.