Sailboat within a cartouche, after a bas-relief on the Fontaine des Quatre-Saisons (Paris) 1745 - 1800

This anonymous print depicts a sailboat within a cartouche, copying a bas-relief on the Fontaine des Quatre-Saisons in Paris. The fountain was commissioned during the reign of Louis XV, and this print gives us insight into the politics of imagery in 18th-century France. The fleur-de-lis, a recurring symbol of the French monarchy, floats above the ship, visually linking maritime power with the Bourbon dynasty. The fountain itself was a public works project, intended to project an image of royal beneficence and control. Prints like these were a way of disseminating those images, embedding the monarchy’s iconography within the broader culture. We can think of these images as tools of statecraft, designed to shape public opinion and reinforce existing social hierarchies. By studying the visual codes and cultural references present in artworks like this, and using resources such as historical archives and political writings, we gain a better understanding of the social conditions that shaped artistic production in the past. Art always reflects its social and institutional context.