Cartouche met vier musici en een aap 1731 - 1788

Johann Esaias Nilson created this print called "Cartouche with four musicians and a monkey" using etching in the eighteenth century. Decorative prints like this one were aimed at private consumption. A cartouche is an ornamental frame, often framing an inscription. Here, the inscription celebrates modern cartouches "accompanied by children". Around this, we see images of musical performance: we see figures with a harp, lute, and hurdy-gurdy along with a monkey. This represents the popular idea of art as a product of leisure for the aristocracy. This print offers a glimpse into the cultural values of 18th-century Europe, where art and music were seen as symbols of refinement and social status. Further research in collections of decorative prints and the history of musical imagery will illuminate the social function of this print. We may see the artwork as both reflecting and reinforcing the cultural norms of its time.