Haard met guirlandes 1772 - 1779

This print of a mantelpiece with garlands was made by Jean-Baptiste Bichard, sometime in the mid-18th century. It is made using engraving, a printmaking technique that involves incising an image onto a metal plate, which is then inked and pressed onto paper. The sharp lines and precise details give a sense of the mantelpiece's elegant Neoclassical design. The garlands and other decorative elements are rendered with great care, as if to emphasize the skill of the craftsman who would have carved this design in wood or stone. Prints like this one were made to disseminate design ideas, and they reflect the increasing commercialization of design in the 18th century. This print allowed for the mass production of design ideas, making them available to a wider audience, beyond the wealthy patrons who commissioned bespoke pieces. This points towards the development of consumer culture, where style and taste became more widely accessible, and where the value of skilled labor was being transformed by new modes of production.