Design for a Wall Decoration 1700 - 1800

This design for a wall decoration was made by an anonymous artist, and its cultural context is deeply rooted in the social and institutional history of interior design. The image creates meaning through its visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. The lyre, the classical figure, the cherubs and coat-of-arms are all visual codes of power and cultural accomplishment, and they point to an elite social class. The design speaks to the social structures of its own time, one in which aristocratic society looked to fine art to create images and objects through which they could legitimize their power. The wall decoration would have functioned within a larger system of social display. The role of the historian is to look at this drawing and interpret it in a context, using archival material like letters, diaries, and household inventories to understand it better. Art’s meaning is contingent on its social and institutional context.