Collage van uitgeknipte prenten geplakt op albumblad van blauw papier c. 1585 - 1700

This collage of cut prints pasted on blue paper was made by various makers, and we are not sure exactly when it was created. This assembly of images, full of classical motifs, exotic birds and floral arrangements, hints at the elite tastes in decorative art. Likely of Dutch origin, this collage shows us the cultural values of its time. Motifs and their arrangements would have been carefully studied in the context of the domestic interior for which this would have been made. How might the arrangement of cut-out prints reflect the maker’s social aspirations? Was it intended as a conversation piece? What kind of institutional background did these makers have? Historians can answer these questions. By studying design manuals, visiting the libraries of elite families and looking into the historical record of craft guilds we can better understand how this kind of art object functioned in its own time.