Siervaas op smalle voet 1648 - 1655

Jean Lepautre created this print of an ornate ewer, or jug, sometime in the 17th century. The French court of Louis XIV was setting the standard for luxury goods all over Europe, and prints like this one helped to spread the word. The design combines classical and naturalistic motifs in a characteristically baroque fashion. We see scenes with figures that might come from classical mythology, along with floral ornamentation. It presents a vision of elite life that would have been aspirational for many people at the time. To understand such an image fully, historians might look at the inventories of wealthy households, the pattern books from which artisans drew their inspiration, and the publications that shaped the taste of collectors and patrons. The meaning of art is always bound to its social and institutional context.