Jean Bérain le Père : oeuvres c. 1711 - 1715

Editor: This print, "Jean Bérain le Père: oeuvres," dating from around 1711 to 1715 and currently held at the Rijksmuseum, presents two ornate architectural designs. I'm struck by how these fireplace facades use decorative elements that give me the feeling of stylized human figures. What symbolic weight do you see in these kinds of Baroque designs? Curator: That’s a keen observation! I immediately notice how Bérain is using ornament not just as decoration but as a language, one rooted in classical and courtly power. Consider the symmetry, the cartouches, the implied human figures that you noticed -- they all allude to established authority and good taste. Can you see how each individual component serves a specific symbolic purpose? Editor: I see it in the figure holding what appears to be the lamps – like supporting columns that became animate beings. How does the use of classical motifs translate into conveying status? Curator: Exactly! The classical vocabulary – the pilasters, cornices, even the acanthus leaves – signal a connection to the grandeur of the Roman Empire, thereby imbuing the owner, usually aristocracy, with a sense of inherited prestige. It creates visual continuity with that cultural memory of empire. Notice, too, how each individual motif would be recognizable to someone familiar with courtly culture at the time, operating almost as a signifier of wealth. Editor: So, reading the symbols in design was a kind of visual literacy for the elite? Curator: Precisely. And in their combination, these images could promote dynastic or family associations with wealth, longevity, virtue and power. They weren't just aesthetically pleasing; they communicated deeply ingrained social values. Editor: I've learned a lot by recognizing these visual codes. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure! The layers of meaning encoded into something that, on the surface, just looks "decorative" speaks to how images continually transmit power across generations.