Renaissance Ornament no. 3. Renaissance ornaments in relief, from photographs taken from casts in the Crystal Palace, Sydenham 

Owen Jones made this print, “Renaissance Ornament no. 3,” featuring photographs of plaster casts, likely in the 19th century. Jones was fascinated by the grammar of ornament. These panels show his careful study of Renaissance style. The repeating motifs and rhythmic compositions speak to a moment in design history when the goal was to codify beauty. This approach reveals a desire to impose order, to create an accessible vocabulary for artisans and manufacturers. Plaster casts, like the ones Jones depicted, were a way to democratize access to great works of art, but always at a remove. The hand skills required to create these beautiful Renaissance artworks are not captured by Jones's print. Ultimately, what we see is the beginning of design as an industrialized process, in which the genius of a historical moment can be repackaged for a new era of mass production.