Further Media
Similar to the four ornamental ribbons displayed in the cabinet to the left, these two scarves, acquired for the Kunstgewerbemuseum in the run-up to this exhibition, are by British architect and designer Sam Jacob. They are still available on his studio’s website at a price that makes them affordable to a wider audience, unlike many of the luxury objects that are on display in these preceding rooms, which were made for distinguished households.
The motifs, which are available in several colors, once again hark back to the formal canon of Greek and Roman Antiquity. They therefore conclude this overview of an epoch and its reception, which has been explored in these rooms by means of selected objects in a wide variety of materials.
The fluted Ionic column with its narrow volute capital comes across like a bold proclamation of the core tenets of Classicism, which is confirmed by the play on words in the description of the scarf in the online store: “Be iconic with our Ionic column scarf”. It goes on to say that the ancient orders are actually meant to be load-bearing, but with these scarves they become soft and floppy and thus wearable themselves. About one hundred years earlier, the Austrian architect Adolf Loos moved the function of an ancient column to the other extreme with his design for the Tribune Tower in Chicago: instead of supporting an entablature, it becomes an actual display piece.
The bead and reel motif, which was probably edited with the help of graphics software, is also available in different colours. The product description on the website recommends to “Decorate yourself with a Bead and Reel scarf”. It may be a deliberate allusion to beaded necklaces, which are also worn around the neck. Whether art or kitsch, Jacob raises the question of what constitutes Classicism. The owners of his scarves are ornamented like the architectural elements and furnishings on display in these halls; how fitting that Classicist ornamentation has often been understood in architectural theory as the garb of buildings.
Text: Alexander Röstel