Series of Small Flower Motifs, Plate 4 1665 - 1675

This is Plate 4 from Paul Androuet Ducerceau’s ‘Series of Small Flower Motifs’. This delicate engraving offers us a glimpse into the aesthetic sensibilities of 17th-century France. During this time, France, under the rule of Louis XIV, was establishing itself as a major power, and art was employed as a tool to express cultural authority and elegance. Floral motifs like the roses, lilies, and daffodils seen here were extremely popular in decorative arts and fashion. But such objects, and this print, were available only to the aristocracy and the rising wealthy merchant classes. Ducerceau’s position as an engraver allowed him access to these circles, yet it also placed him in a service role. Consider how these carefully rendered flowers, meant for the embellishment of other objects, speak to both the opulence and the social hierarchies of the era. It makes you wonder about the many hands involved in bringing such beauty to life. The print invites us to reflect on the historical conditions that shaped its creation, and perhaps to consider the labor and the social world embedded in its delicate lines.