Design for an Urn 1725 - 1772

This is a print from 1695-1772 by Gabriel Huquier, 'Design for an Urn.' It gives us a fascinating window into the visual culture of the French elite. The urn is decorated with cherubs and religious scenes in a style that would have been very fashionable at the time. But consider this: what is the public role of such an object? Was it intended for private contemplation, or was it meant to convey a particular image of status and taste? Prints like this one circulated widely, helping to shape ideas about what constituted good design. As historians, we might look to period sources, such as etiquette manuals or inventories of aristocratic households, to understand how objects like this functioned in their original social context. By doing so, we can begin to unravel the complex interplay between art, power, and social identity in early modern France.