Vijf reliëfs met bloemen en bladranken, gebeeldhouwd door Jean Herman before 1880

This is a photographic print by Charles Claesen of five relief sculptures of flowers and foliage by Jean Herman. Floral decoration like this often adorned buildings during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a period of rapid industrialization and urbanization in Europe. Architectural sculpture was a way to soften the impact of the hard, new urban environment with natural forms. Decoration like this was part of a culture of display, expressing civic pride and the wealth and power of the institutions that commissioned it. This image, in turn, provided a resource for architects and builders. To understand the context of architectural decoration like this, we might investigate the history of building practices, the economics of the construction industry, and the aesthetic values of the time. Art always exists within the context of its production and reception.