Cartouche met vijf hangers, onderaan een koninklijke jachtpartij 1665

Balthazar Moncornet created this print, Cartouche with five pendants, sometime in the mid-17th century. It combines the fashion for elaborate jewelry design with the aristocratic pastime of hunting. This imagery speaks volumes about the social and economic structures of its time. Created in France, it reflects a society deeply divided by class, where the conspicuous consumption of luxury goods and the exclusive pursuit of leisure activities like royal hunts were the preserve of the elite. The print subtly reinforces the idea of a divinely ordained social hierarchy, with the royal hunt symbolizing power and privilege. As historians, we can look to sources like fashion plates, court records, and hunting treatises to better understand the cultural significance of these images. It is through such research that we can appreciate how art is inextricably linked to the social and institutional contexts in which it is produced and consumed.