Paneel met vaas en hoornen des overvloeds 1777 - 1799

Jacques Juillet created this print, “Panel with vase and cornucopia,” in France in the late 18th century. It served as a design for interior decoration, specifically for paneling, and displays motifs such as swags of flowers, ribbons and a vase framed by horns of plenty. We see here the visual vocabulary of the French Rococo, which was then the dominant style in the decorative arts. Rococo was closely associated with the aristocracy, and the design hints at their aesthetic and values. The emphasis on ornamentation and delicate forms speaks to the refined taste of the upper classes. The print also reveals aspects of the institutional history of art. It testifies to the growing professionalization of design, as artists like Juillet were producing models for craftsmen to follow. Art historians consult a wide range of sources, including prints like this one, to reconstruct the social and cultural world of the past. We ask, what can art tell us about the societies that produced it?