Pot met deksel en twee meermannen 1764

Benigno Bossi made this pen drawing of a pot with lid and two mermen sometime in the 18th century. The Rococo style in which Bossi worked was about more than ornamental flourishes; it was a visual language of power, intimately linked to the aristocratic societies of Europe. Here, the classical urn is adorned with garlands, and flanked by mythical figures. But who would have used a design like this and how? It’s likely that this was a preparatory drawing for an object to be made in silver or porcelain for a wealthy patron. This shows how art in the 1700s was often deeply embedded in a network of social relations and economic exchange. Artists like Bossi were employed to create designs that would then be realized by skilled artisans, all catering to the tastes of the elite. To understand this image better, we might look at estate inventories, design pattern books, and guild records. These can tell us more about the circulation of luxury goods and the ways in which art reinforced social hierarchies. Ultimately, this artwork is a reminder that even seemingly decorative objects can tell us a great deal about the power structures of the past.