Targhe ed altri ornati di varie e capricciose invenzioni (Cartouches and other ornaments of various and capricious invention, page 8) 1773

Jacob Floris created this print, "Cartouches and other ornaments," in the mid-16th century as part of a larger pattern book. Its main subject is the elaborate framing device known as a cartouche, here decorated with military trophies and hybrid creatures. This image was made in the Netherlands at a time when the region was undergoing profound social and religious upheaval. As a result, the visual language is complex. On the one hand, the classical references speak to the learning of the elite. On the other, the decorative forms also reflect a burgeoning commercial culture. Pattern books like these offered artisans templates for producing luxury goods and architectural features to signal status and taste. Understanding this print requires close attention to its social function and material conditions. By consulting period documents, architectural treatises, and inventories, we can begin to understand the role this image played in shaping both artistic production and social life. Art, after all, always participates in the world around it.