Ovale vergulde lijst met gesneden ornamenten aan de dagkant, horend bij het relief met het offer aan Ceres. 1766

This is an oval gilded frame with carved ornaments, made by Louis Simon Boizot. Boizot lived through the French Revolution, a time of seismic upheaval in French society when notions of class, power, and representation were being radically redefined. Consider the frame as a symbolic boundary, defining what is in and out, what is valued and what is excluded. The carved ornaments, likely wheat, allude to Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, fertility, and grain. In this context, the frame doesn't just adorn; it invokes themes of abundance and sustenance. Who gets to partake in the "offering" to Ceres? Whose labor produces the abundance? These are critical questions to ask. Frames such as this are about what and who is deemed worthy of preservation. As you observe this piece, contemplate the stories it holds and the power it embodies.