Ornament 17th-18th century

Curator: This is "Ornament" by Bernard Picart, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It’s an intricate etching. My first impression is a strange mix of elegance and something almost unsettling. Curator: Given Picart's era, think about the social function of ornament. It's not just decoration, it's a marker of class, status, and taste. The angel figure, flanked by dragons, represents a visual language of power. Editor: Yes, but the means of production! Consider the labor involved in creating such detail, the skill required to control the etching tools. These materials held social meaning. Curator: Absolutely! And this object also reflects Enlightenment ideals of order imposed upon the natural world, wouldn't you agree? Editor: I see the labor, the means; you see the ideology. Curator: It’s a both/and, isn't it? A visual object that’s so much more than a simple embellishment. Editor: It’s changed how I will consider materials and meaning.